Every day passes by so quickly, I recall the days as a child when a day would last forever and school holidays felt like an entire year!
I turned 40 this year, Norm will be turning 43, our daughter Saskia turned 19 and left home last week and I often do not know what day it is, what the actual date is and what is even in my diary to achieve tommorrow.  I just wing it, I just go to bed, wake up, do what needs to be done and somehow life just unfolds.

I recall back in my 20's I had to have control, Norm still says I am a control freak, but he forgets how much I have changed.  I now am beginning to grasp the wisdom of people that have been around longer than I, and often find myself imparting my wisdom on the younger generation.  And yes, often sounding like my mother!

Yet, I am only 40, age is a way of giving you an idea of how long you have been on this earth and a general indiciation of how much longer you might have if all goes well.
It wasn't until I actually turned 40, well it was the day after, that I started to reflect on how much I had already done and how much I still wanted to do and how quick it all went and then how quick this next 40 years will go ...and then it was like, "Oh SHIT! Lets get going!" 

Pretty much every day I wake up happy, wake up feeling inspired and in love with my husband and I am stoked to see my daughter now, now that she is absent, I love her even more.  She said to me the other day, "Mum, garlic is expensive! Curry paste is too.  Wow, buying condiments is expensive work. Oh and do you have a blanket I can have?"

I was just like my mother, and my grandmother, saying sure, have this, do you want this, do you need bread? Take that tin of coconut cream, write a list of what you need, I will get some for you...oh and here is an envelope of cash for you.  I even went down to the shop today with pumpkin soup and some home made fried rice for her dinners.  She was stoked!
Now I know myself, its not until you leave home that you really really get what you parents have done for you.  But on the other hand, its not until your child leaves home that you really really REALLY want to see them happy and succeeding in life.

All my parenting life, I have had a simple goal for my daughter, to be a valued person in her family and the community, to live with integrity and humility, to think about others more than herself and to enjoy what she is doing in life no matter what it might be in the big scheme of things.
I think she is starting to realise that for herself, that being an adult as scary as it is, is also so simple.

I am proud.  I have despite my failings, done a great job, I have an adult in the world who is able to leave home and devise her own life.

Now on the other hand, I am home alone with my dogs and my best friend Norm.  We are not yet in full swing of what it means to be home alone, but Norm did have a shower and did walk through the house totally naked!
The dogs miss Sas, but they have us to still have cuddles with.

We, Norm and I, have so much to do this year, and next and the next and before I know it I will be 50 wondering where time went!  But you know what? I know so many inspirational and motivated 50 year olds, 60 year olds and people in their 70's still hanging out at races at a cracking pace!  

Thats Norm and I, riding our bikes until the day we cannot.  With our grandchildren.  (hear that Saskia?)  Even racing in teams with them at events, trying to beat them as they get older and stronger and we talk about "back in our day"....

2013, so much already ticked off, so much to still do, racing the WEMBO 24hr World solo mtb champs in Canberra.  Can I do it a 3rd time at 40? Yes, of course I can if I want to!

Teaching MTBSkills all around the globe and Australia, from children to 70 year olds. Men and women.  I am having a ball.
Off to France next week for a 2 week riding holiday with TopBike Tours and Dave Olle.  Learning some French from a fellow cyclist Delphine so I am not a total idiot.  
I have been off to Bikram Yoga - the hot 40 degree sweat fest Yoga.  Loving it, is sooooo good for me.  You should give it a go.
Doing social Mountain bike rides, mega road epics with mates and new cycling friends.  organising another 300km ride with some fellow mad men.

Oh and then we have the Corner Store Forrest that Norm and I have built up with the help of our awesome staff and Giant bikes.

On a normal day this is how I roll:

• 6:30am - wake up and compulsory strong skinny latte with a touch of caramel
• 7:00am - Early morning ergo session
• 8:00am - Stretch and core
• 8:30am - Shower and breakfast
• 9:00am - try to take dogs for a walk
• 10:00am - check on shop, say hi to staff.
• 11:00am - Work in many a form, emails, FB, blogs, MTBSkills courses, admin, staff liaising, follow ups, planning etc...
• 4:00pm - head out for a MTB ride by myself for a quick 1.5hr blast
• 6:30pm - Dinner and chill out or answer emails, some work prep for tomorrow, wash clothes, pack for tomorrows adventures if I travel to Geelong for Yoga or You yangs ride etc...
• 9:30pm - Bed, read book until tired.
• 10:00pm - Sleep

So now I have one more week until I head off to France for 10 days, then on my return a 300km ride and a MTBSkills session on the same weekend.  Some more skills courses on proceeding weekends, and then Norm and I are off to Darwin to run MTBSkills sessions all weekend and race on Sunday.
Again in August, off to Perth to assist Rock and Road Mountain biking with a womens weekend on the trails.

Hoping to plan some mega racing and training with some friends in September, work hard on our businesses of course and then head to Canberra to race 24hrs again!

Some people say, "Jess how do you do it all?" I say, "I wake up in the morning and just get started, some days I get more done than others, I could always train more, I could always get more done, but I just do what the day allows me to and my savoiur is sleep and the fact that I get another crack at it tomorrow!"

Here are some words that I live by:

• Do today what others wont so you can do tomorrow what others can't
• When things get tough, when you feel like giving up - DON'T - as this is precisely the moment you must go on.  When you do persevere you will find yourself a part of a small minority that some may call "high achievers" or "big dreamers" or "doers" and the more you do this, the more you will see success as a normal part of life.
• Something is ALWAYS better than nothing, so stop procrastinating and do what you set out to do.
• Better done than perfect.
• When you lose confidence in your journey, stop focussing on you and focus on giving to others, adding value to the world with NO regard of whats in it for you.  This is 100% guaranteed to sort your life out!  Help you realise what really is important.
• In my racing, when I want to set a big goal, even when I get to do amazing things, I remind myself that in the big scheme of the world, I am not a rockstar - I am a person adding value to other peoples lives so to wake up each day and live and be that to others.  This world is awesome because people are awesome.

Thanks for listening...I will keep filling you in on my latest journey to France.  
...and stop taking yourself so seriously, enjoy life NOW!