Meaningful

Be your own champion

Posted on by fantomwriter

While watching a documentary on the band Queen, they spoke about the songs, “We will rock you” and “We are the champions”. Both songs are now used at the end of major sporting events. There will only be one champion. One winner.

But in life, this is not always the case. Being number 1 is not something we all strive for in our lives. It’s not that we want to be at the bottom of the barrel, but we don’t feel the need to prove ourselves to anyone else.

The only person we need to better is ourselves. In sports, or at work, I do my best and that’s what gets me out of bed every morning. On the bike I chase down my PBs and strive to break one every time I get on the track. At work, it’s the same, I strive to do better than I did the day before. Sometimes easier said than done.

The only way to be a winner in life is to be honest with oneself. If we can do this on a daily basis we will continue to move in the right direction. It’s the moment we begin to lie to ourselves that everything is OK, then we head down the rabbit hole and never find our way out.

If we want to be a champion, we need to look deep into our own lives and not try to work out anyone else’s life. Our own life is complicated enough without delving into another’s life.

It’s high time to delve into what we really want, and what will make us a champion of our own life. Don’t wait another moment as tomorrow may never come.

No Promises

Posted on by fantomwriter

There are some promises that are easy to keep, such as, I promise to mow the lawns this weekend, or I promise to fix blocked gutters before it rains again.

Then there are other promises that are more difficult to keep, no matter how hard you try.

One of my promises to my wife was that I would ride safe and be careful every time I went out on the road bike. Rain, blowing winds and sunny days, I would tell her the same thing as she lay in bed and I ventured off for my morning rides.


This was one promise I broke sometime in mid March 2017. My intentions were good and my years on the bike made no difference at all on this bright and sunny Saturday morning along the Melbourne peninsula. My lights were flashing and I was wearing my multicoloured cycling outfit. But still, a broken promise.

Having been on the road for close to an hour, I knew my halfway point for my outing. There was a slight headwind as I headed towards Point Nepean, and I was pushing myself harder than normal. It must have been the fantastic conditions, and I was out on my own and nothing but 80s music streaming through my headphones and a clear mind.

In a split second, my entire life was about to take a tumble for the worse. But it could have been far more serious. So I consider myself extremely lucky. And I was given a lifeline. 

A car coming in the opposite direction performed an illegal turn in front of me. Obviously not having seen me. And I’m not what one would consider a small unit.

With less than a split second to do something. I did the obvious. I hit his front side guard at over 30 kilometres per hour.

The first and only thing that went through my mind was, it’s over. Goodbye!

I flipped over his hood, landing on my arse and then ploughed into his windscreen, shattering it into thousands of pieces with my shoulder. And my journey continued I somersaulted over his car, as I watched my glasses and iPhone fly well ahead of me.

Landing on the ground more than 12 feet away from his car, I later discovered I broke my back. My L4 to be exact. And in thst split second, my life had changed. Forever!


Pain filled every fibre of my body, but for some unknown reason, I was still able to move my arms and legs. A positive sign I thought as I screamed in pain as I was surrounded by some very helpful and concerned bystanders.

The ambulance trip to the Frankston hospital was one without all that much pain, but I would have to say the morphine in my system had a lot to do with that fact.

The next few hours with my wife beside me at the Frankston hospital and then at the Alfred hospital trauma centre were good, bad, anxious, concerning, and the scariest hours of my life.

I was eventually told I had a broken back, but signs were positive because I was able to move my arms and legs. No internal or neauralogical damage, so another positive sign.

After leaving the hospital five days later, and in a very uncomfortable back brace I was to wear for the following 12 weeks. In some desperate hope my back would heal on its own and no surgery would be required.

With all the damage I had suffered, I was extremely lucky not to have injured any of my spinal nerves and no other nerves impacted. I only have God to thank for that. And not having died on the side of the road was something I still look back at and wonder why?

The following 12 weeks were filled with some of the lowest points in my life. Not just the pain, but the not knowing how and if I would fully recover. And at the lowest point, if I really wanted to continue. I knew deep down I had to abandon all fear if I was to make it through.

With the help and support of family and friends, I struggled through and continued to make progress. First getting out of bed without assistance, and eventually able to walk to my letterbox.

I have to admit ut did get a little easier the more I moved. I ended up going on 5 kilometre walks as the weeks dragged by. My only outings were visits to surgeons and physiotherapists.

The long road of rehabilitation lays ahead of me, 6-12 months I’ve been told before I’m back to the condition I was in before the accident.

In the end, what got me through was love and friendship. And lots of pain medication.

My Scott carbon fibre bike was written off, but I still have my Avanti, which is patiently waiting for me to decide on my path forward.


As for the path after rehabilitation, do I go back to the one sport I loved with a passion, or do I take up stamp collecting, as suggested by my brother.


Whatever I decide, I have honestly found that love and friendship conquers all, physical and mental pain.

No Promises – Icehouse

It’s OK to fail sometimes

Posted on by fantomwriter

Perfection is one thing we all seek, even if we don’t admit it to others or to ourselves. We are born to achieve the best we can in the very short time we have on the third planet from the sun.

Then there are times that no matter how hard we try, we fail. And there is no shame in failing, we can’t be perfect. Even when we try for perfection, it’s just out of our grasp.

But then, even when we are striving for perfection, are we doing it for ourselves, or are we trying to please others in our lives?

When we are young we are out to please our parents. In sports, at school and in the way we live our lives. Always trying to make others happy, even though we tell ourselves we are doing for personal goals.

Later in life we are out to please a partner, keeping them happy, making them smile and giving them everything they could possibly want, or need.

This is where we fail. No matter how hard we try we will at some point lose our way, falter, stumble and fall.

This shouldn’t make a big difference in a strong relationship, but at times it does. And this is where we need to once again strive for what we consider perfection. 

The good and bad of us

Posted on by fantomwriter

The way we see ourselves is much different than the way others see us. We are seen in a different light, one which we would never think about ourselves.

We always look down upon at what and who we are, and only see our bad side. Our true friends also see our bad side, but they see the side of us that makes us different, and also very special. The side of us that keeps them coming back, through the good times and the bad.

We may not think much of ourselves most of the time, but once in a while we need to see what others see in us. We are all good, we just need to look a little deeper to see the goodness other people see in us. It will shine through.

We shouldn’t let out our self doubt block out all the good things we truly are. 
Relax, smile and our true selves will be revealed not only to those around us, but to ourselves. 

Two dates and a dash 

Posted on by fantomwriter


Our lives are made up of two dates and a dash in between them. We need to take every opportunity to make the most of that dash.

It may not always be easy to make the most of that dash between the dates, as inconveniences get in the way, and so do times of depression and exhaustion.

But with the very limited time we do have, we should at least try and be happy and see the brighter and lighter side of life. There is more to life than the boring and mundane. We just need to go search for it.

Go for a drive, take a short trip, go to the movies with someone special. Sit in front of a blazing fire or laze on the beach. Make the time to create memories.

If there is something holding us back from finding our true happiness, we need to either work it out or walk away from whatever it is.


Life is like that box of chocolates, sometimes we can find the sweetest things, and other times somethings are just plain nuts.

Take me back

Posted on by fantomwriter

I tend to spend a few hours at a time on the bike and manage to listen to a lot of music. Albeit that most of the tracks are from the 80s, but they keep me singing along and keep a smile on my dial. The tracks tend to help me grind out the kms and keep the last of my sanity intact. Most of the tracks I listen to take me back to the days when songs had more meaning and not every second word was an obscenity.

So when ‘Take Me Back’ by Noiseworks blasted its way through my headphones, it made think of the words Jon Stevens penned and what they really meant.

Don’t take friends, family or lovers you have for granted, you may lose them forever in the blink of an eye and will never have the opportunity to tell them what you want, or truly feel.

Live for the moment, be spontaneous with them, be with them and enjoy their good times, console them in their bad times. Talk to them and tell them how you feel, because tomorrow may be too late.

Sometimes tomorrow never comes.

‘I watched you wave goodbye as you drove away

I didn’t know that it would be your last time with me

You said – life ain’t worth living if nobody cared

You said it all the time’

Talk and listen. Make the most of every second you’re with the ones who matter the most.

Second Chances

Posted on by fantomwriter

When a second chance comes along, make sure you grab it by the horns with both hands and don’t let go.

We all get a second chance at something in our lives, sometimes it might be as simple as getting the opportunity to see a band you couldn’t get tickets to the first time they toured the country, or picking up that special pair of jeans that finally went on sale again and you snapped them up.

In many cases, you may not even realize a second chance has slipped through your fingers and you remain completely oblivious to the fact it came and went. Not even knowing it might have been life changing.

Then there are the other times when you look back and see that very special opportunity ride away into sunset, leaving nothing but a billowing trail of red dust and a deep longing. And you kick yourself for not jumping on that horse, because deep down in your heart, you knew it was the second chance that would have made you completely happy.

So when that special second chance comes along, grab it, hold on to it with your life. Because that second chance might be the one that changes your life.

Do you believe in second chances?

Never Judge a Book by its Cover

Posted on by fantomwriter

After being cooped up in the house for over seven weeks, it was time I ventured out into the wilds. Well, at least the wilds of Eastland. 
So with a start time set and bus timetable sorted, I headed off into the cold for my first road trip. 
Apart from the bus arriving 10 minutes late, and the light drizzle, the day was off to a good start. My MYKI card still worked and the bus was much warmer than the cold bus stop. 
The bus trip was exactly as I remembered; boring. But it did get me to the station where I only had to wait 11 minutes for the next train. I looked over at the small coffee shop inside the station and decided it would be best if I waited for my coffee.  
Once the train arrived, close enough to its scheduled time, I boarded and headed to the disabled seats. They are a little wider and have a straighter back. 

With only two stops to my destination, I waited as passengers boarded at the next stop. And that is where I received a dirty look from a middle aged woman as she looked at me sitting in the disabled seats. I had no crutches or walking stick and I seemed fit and healthy. So why should I be taking up these particular seats.  
Sometimes a person may not seem like they are hurt, injured or broken in any shape or form, but they may be hurting in a way not seen by others. She couldn’t see my back brace and thought I was being inconsiderate. 
A few words would have cleared the air and I wouldn’t have had to put up with her filthy look for the next few minutes. 
Just because a person may not look hurt in any way, it never hurts to ask. Are you OK? The response may actually surprise you and a difficult situation can be resolved quickly.

A Touch of Generosity

Posted on by fantomwriter

It’s the small things that people do that make them stand out from the rest. And that’s what made this 100km ride even better. 
After 80kms one of the guys dropped back from the group and was losing touch. I don’t like being left behind so I eased off and stayed with him. 
Once we got to some shade, we stopped off for a bite to eat and a drink. It was there that a young mother came out from her house and asked it we wanted our water bottles refilled with ice water. We both accepted the offer and then continued on our way. Bottles filled with ice water and blocks of ice.
It made riding the remainder 20kms so much easier and ensured I had a smile on my face.  

It’s the simple things that keep my faith in people. This act proved my point.

Thoughts in the darkness 

Posted on by fantomwriter

As I stood on the back deck listening to the drops of rain dance on the roof, I stared into the darkness and searched for answers to so many questions that clogged up my head. 
But in the end, I realized that it wasn’t answers I was searching for. Without the right questions, the answers mean very little, or nothing at all. 
The answer may be 42. It’s time to find the real question.