The indian, not the arrow

Is that saying racist? It sounds like a line my grandfather would have said, in the 50's. But that's alright, it wasn't racist then, it was just reality.

Anyways, cultural sensitivities aside, a friend of mine used the phrase the other day and I thought it was perfectly put.

We were asking him about his bike collect. He's down to 4, 1 road, 2 mountain and 1 city P.O.S.
Someone asked him, "so, what's your dream bike?" to which he replied "I own it, it's the light green mountain bike in the back."

We were dumbfounded.

"But, if you already own your dream bike, what do you have to aspire to?" we pondered.

"It's the indian, not the arrow, man" he stated in deadpan, hippy, philosophical zen. "I have it, now it's a matter of learning how to ride it to the level it deserves."

That idea has stuck in my head in the weeks since. While money is tight, or while we are being told that money is tight - it gives us a moment to pause and question whether what we have is in fact already more capable than we are.

I won't get started about over weight men who buy carbon fiber bike parts, that's too obvious a violation. What I will focus on is focus.

I need to focus more, and so does mostly everyone around me. Aside from my friend who just graduated from Johns Hopkins Medical, or my other one who works in the White House, I'm fairly certain that most of us would benefit more from focusing on how we can improve rather than how we can upgrade.

I get that the mountain biking to living life analogy isn't perfect, but it's what is currently inspiring me, so I thought it's share.


ps- have you seen the iPhone 3G S? I heard it's "stupid fast" and puts the previous one to shame!