Ready To Play

Put me in Coach. I'm ready to play. Today.
Centerfield, John Fogerty (1985).

Shaun Arritola, Craig Groseth & Rob Sorge at the end of our 5 day, 300+ mile DED Dirt Ride in 2014,
which was part of Rob's start to his "Second Half."

Several years ago, Rob Sorge, my best friend from college, retired after a successful 33+ year career as an engineer. At that time, Rob thoughtfully created an outline, or perhaps more of a conceptual framework, on how to live the next phase of his life with intentionality and purpose. He called his post-retirement phase "The Second Half" and shared it with family and friends. Ever since, he has relentlessly pursued his "Second Half," just like he pursued a loose ball on the basketball court, a baseline bullet on the tennis court, or a finish in the swimming pool.

In a recent congratulatory note to me, Rob noted that now I was entering my "The Second Half." He then added that, for me, maybe it's my "Third Quarter." At first, I thought he was referring to my playing football and basketball, which both had four quarters.

But, no. Rob wasn't referring to sports. My First Quarter was everything leading to and including a 21+ year career in the private practice of law as an intellectual property law litigator. From the start, I had the heart, mindset and lifestyle of go/go/go, achieve/achieve/achieve, next/next/next. Shoot for the top, the hardest, the best. Excel. Move up. Move forward. Move on. Next.

Eventually, I realized that working so hard to achieve makes it difficult to recognize success, let alone enjoy it. At age 47, I radically changed. All of it. Heart. Mindset. Lifestyle. I extracted myself from all of that and started my Second Quarter.

Centerfield, John Fogerty (1985).

We moved to Rapid City, South Dakota, my wife's hometown, and I began to search for a unmet community need. In a wildly unexpected development, I was led to serve our community as a Correctional Officer at the Pennington County Sheriff's Office. Now, there's a community service need that very few are able or willing to undertake, let alone endure for any length of time. It is a difficult environment that demands interpersonal communication skills and situational awareness far beyond the court room. Despite the challenges, I loved the opportunity to serve and I loved the people.

However, it's also a young man's game, which I played at my best for 12 years. But I can't play forever and the clock eventually expired on my Second Quarter. Closing in on age 62, I recently retired from the Pennington County Sheriff's Office.

Now, it's my Third Quarter. I do not know where this will lead. I do not yet have an outline, other than a determination to keep an open heart, being especially attentive to a call to serve an unmet need.

Put me in, Coach. I'm ready to play. Today.

A Final Commute

Today is my last day riding my bike to work. That's because it's my last day of work, at least in this career. Today I officially retire from the Pennington County Sheriff's Office.

Riding downstream on the bike path along Rapid Creek past M-Hill and then toward the sun to downtown Rapid City.

For the past 12 years, I have ridden a bicycle to work practically every day. Not absolutely every day, but practically every day.

With shifting work responsibilities and a maturing family, one constant throughout the years was cycling. Every day, I hopped on my bike and rolled through our neighborhood, grinning in disbelief that I got to ride my bike that day. As if dipped in magic waters, I'm 12 years old riding to the park to play baseball with my friends.

After a shift, or a shift and a half, working in a demanding environment, I hopped on my bike and rolled home. Two rides in one day! Somewhere along the way, work troubles always seemed to drop off the back. They just couldn't hang with the pace of the good vibes pulling me along.

"It'll be as if they dipped themselves in magic waters. The memories will be so thick, 

they'll have to brush them away from their faces." Terrance Mann, Field of Dreams (1989).

Cycling travels at a human level. I loved seeing and greeting all kinds of folks along the bike path that formed a large portion of my commute. Even in the depths of a western South Dakota winter, folks are out, throughout the day and night, enjoying the bike path for recreation and transportation.

The most regular of the regulars, however, was cyclist Bill Marquadt. A retired 70-something year old, Bill rides almost 50 miles every day, year round, totaling somewhere around 16,000+ miles per year. When I rode in at about 6:00 am, I often saw him riding home. We regularly stopped to chat for a moment, so I may need an early ride now and then to catch up with Bill.

A fun, little side trail along the other side of Rapid Creek on the base of M-Hill.

The newest regular along my commute was Lucas Haan, an enterprising young School of Mines engineer with a passion for all things cycling and beer. Last winter, Lucas successfully completed the Icy Bike Winter Cycling Challenge by commuting 81 days during our 6 month winter. He even arranged his schedule to share with me part of his ride home. I may need to arrange my retirement schedule to occasionally ride in with Lucas.

Riding my bike to work simply started as a way to get to work. It became an integral part of my lifestyle. I will miss it.

Entering downtown Rapid City as the city awakens.