The Three R’s

Reading, 'Riting, 'Rithmatic. The staples of a basic education, which is stressed to you over and over during your mundane years of elementary school. The Pilgrims learned this way and god damnit you were going to learn this way too. I discovered very early in my life that I naturally gravitated towards 'rithmatic type activities. I played with Legos, built RC cars, and tinkered around in my fathers woodshop on a nightly basis. Reading was a distant second (not counting all those Car & Driver magazines) and 'Riting was only tolerated if it involved some sort of prize in return.

As one can probably read in my blog, my writing has improved a bit since my younger years. In fact, my college english teacher actually asked me if I was SURE that wanted to be an Engineer, because she really enjoyed most of my writings and thought that I should pursue this talent more. My apologies to all those English majors out there, but I just didn't think that majoring in English was going to be enough to pay the bills...

The final R of the day belongs to the word, Reading. To me, reading has always been something I do when there's no internet or tv, and it's too cold to be outside. In fact, I would rather solve a crossword puzzle or sudoku before I picked up a book. Books are long, drawn out, and take far too much patience and (honestly) perseverance to finish. Books in general have never impressed me as being productive, and I'm not a big fan of NOT being productive. Yeah, they're a good story (sometimes) and the author's use of imagery and often vast vocabulary certainly help to take the sting off hundreds of pages of text. But, Mr. Shakespeare and Mr. Tolkien have taken the written word just a little too far...

However, I've been on a few trips lately via airplane, and I realized that I needed a book to pass the time while in flight. One can only read so many of the articles in the airline's own magazine... In preparation, I actually searched through a Barnes & Noble to find a book long before I got to the airport, where I would have been stuck with a few selections from the NYTimes Best Sellers List or the Oprah Book Club. Eventually, I choose a book about a man, Bill Bowerman, legendary coach of the Oregon and US Olympic Track Teams and co-found of Nike (yes, the shoes.) His story is not one of amazing bravery, though his years in the Army could contradict that. His story is not one of amazing perseverance, though his constant striving for perfection could contradict that as well. Bill Bowerman was simply a man, trying to hold himself (and those around him) to the highest possible standards and morals. He believed in being on time, putting in the best effort you could, and never disappointing those who put their trust in you. He never let down his soldiers, he never let down his athletes, and he never let down himself. This book was about his character, and the life he lived to uphold that character. I am in awe of this man, not for the successes that he has had, but for the way he achieved them. His hard work, his passion, his devotion, and his mastery of all that was important to him is what led him achieve greatness.

I never really knew much about Bill Bowerman, the Oregon Track Team, or even the legendary runner Steve Prefontaine. By the time I was born Bill had retired, the Oregon Track Team was average, and Steve Prefontaine was dead. But this book brought all of those memories back to life, and gave me the insight into his life that I never knew. I wish I was born 30 years earlier when I could have run for Bill Bowerman, or worked for Bill Bowerman, or even just shared a meal with Bill Bowerman. I wish more people in this world were like Bill Bowerman, including myself. May your legend live on.

Live right.

BEN