Dammit though, this is not good news for eclecticdeb getting a bike. Sorry Deb!

Except for the ““holy $#*^! I won a bike!” part… hopefully that will come shortly.

I’ve been a LONG TIME reader — and it’s a little freaky how I think I actually KNOW you, and that if we ran into each other you’d smile and call ME by name.

You do a lotta good for the world, take some time to recharge and do something fun.

Now that my “holy $#*^! I won a bike!” high is somewhat under control, I did want to take a few minutes to post a response to your question about how we think you should spend the next year and/or the future of this blog.

I’m going to take a different stand than some others, though it’s based on some suppositions on my part that may be incorrect.

I hear lots of wonderful people telling you to focus on working on the book(s) that make the biggest difference to others. And I understand that, because you do have the power to transform, and like all superpowers, it should not be taken for granted.

But here’s the thing, you have been making a huge difference in peoples’ lives for years now. You have been the freaking alpe d’huez of doing good.
But that is hard work. Really hard. What I don’t think is hard for you, is being funny, loving cycling and other sports, and writing about those things.

I think you should take this year to do writing that is the most FUN for you. Writing that makes you laugh and is easy. I have no doubt that you experience great satisfaction and even joy at writing the cancer stuff, but I have to believe that it’s harder, that it takes more out of you, as does a lot of the work you do that is focused on helping others.

So that’s where some of my guesswork came in, and hey, I could be (often am) wrong. But if it was me, The Caregivers Companion and Fight Like Susan would be much harder to write. Harder because they would feel more important to me and because the subject matter is both intensely personal and meant to guide others through the darkness. That’s hard work.

Personally, I think you deserve a bit of a break, but I don’t think that means you should stop writing, I think it means you should focus on the writing that is the most fun and “easy” for awhile.

I also think, even if you do it less, you should keep this blog going. You have built a very dedicated following here, people really love you, and the marketeer in me thinks you’d be nuts to risk losing some or much of it for future endeavors.

So I think you should continue the blog, even if you do it less, but keep it focused on the stuff that flows the most naturally from you.

I think you should then choose ONE, not two books to tackle this year. Why would you try to do two? If you want to suffer, throw on some bibs and go climb a mountain. Even full-time authors rarely say, “hey, I’m going to write 2 life changing books this year!”

Of the one book you tackle, I think it should be the one you think will be the most F.U.N. I would think that would be Volume II of The Fat Cyclist, but maybe not.

Whatever you choose to do in the end, thank you. I can still remember the first time I read your blog. The post was A Chance to Talk. I sobbed and started reading backwards. I don’t think I got much done that day.

But the many posts such as Purple Snipe and Dave Z’s Nuts also impaired my ability to work, because I was laughing so damn hard. Not to mention all the “Open Letters” and so much more. You are truly hilarious sir.

Both are gifts to your readers and both are important things you do.

This year, take a year to write what is easy and fun. Bike harder, love harder, but write easier.

But you do need to keep writing. A few quotes to end this tome with….

“Keep a small can of WD-40 on your desk—away from any open flames—to remind yourself that if you don’t write daily, you will get rusty.” —George Singleton

“If you want to tell people the truth, make them laugh, otherwise they’ll kill you.” — Oscar Wilde

Most important of all though…

“Beware of advice—even this.” —Carl Sandburg

Happy New Year Fatty!

Thanks. That’s really good advice. And you are right; the serious stuff and the charity stuff requires a lot more from me — not just in the writing, but in the logistics. I think you’ll see that at least in the short term, I’m going take that advice and focus on writing the fun, silly stuff. – FC

It is cleat to me that your next cycling related venture will be to promote velomobiles with your multi award winning blog.

Since velomobiles are still rare, this will provide a large, long-term task, something you appreciate and need.

VeloMan

Note to self: stop checking email every 2 minutes, it really reduces your work productivity.

Elden, you’re awesome. (Just in case you haven’t hear it lately).

We love the dedication that you are putting into your work, and take a lot of inspiration from it. You are truly making a difference for Cycling as a sport and for the recipients of the donations.
Keep it up!

Sending our best regards from Austria,

The Cycling Parents