The Thrill of the Ride, vs. the Thrill of Victory

Yellow Corydalis

The joy and thrill of Life comes from riding the waves of Life, much like the thrill a serf-board rider gets in riding the waves of the ocean or the thrill a concert pianist gets in playing a Mozart Concerto well, quite apart from the applause of the audience. I find I can spoil this thrill of the ride of Life when I focus on the applause of victory or wallow in the agony of defeat, as the Wide World of Sports coined it decades ago. I realize that if my thrill in living comes from victory, then I am missing the purpose of the ride of Life, and actually missing Life itself! Let me focus, rather, on living Life in each moment, and let the thrill come not from “winning” but from simply being present to the Now of the journey moment by moment.