“To reach the port of heaven, we must sail sometimes with the wind, and sometimes against it – but we must sail, and not drift, nor lie at anchor.” – Oliver Wendell Holmes
Are mistakes failure? Only if you give up after making one.
Mistakes can help us. They create humility. They are a primary source of wisdom. You learn from mistakes and are smarter after making them. Mistakes improve mental flexibility because when you realize you have made one, you have to change your mind.
In between race traffic that was getting spaced farther apart now, the desert was peaceful. I thought about what could have happened to Arturo, and why he turned back. I paced slowly around the low brush in the sand. There were thousands of footprints in the area from my pacing all night. I thought about how most stops where there was a Baja Pit near my van, it was Baja Pit first, then the van. The one I missed was the opposite. I usually just took off from the van and gas was already taken care of.
I was a racer, standing still, alone, isolated and ignored by passing vehicles. The eastern sky turned orangey. The light was welcomed and changed my attitude yet again, as it had yesterday, 446 miles back at San Felipe. I was 120 miles off my plan now, and more sleep deprived than I had hoped at this location. I had been awake for 32 hours now.
An ATV came by at 6a.m. Not the racing type of ATV, but a big Artic Cat, even though he was in the race. He slowed as he went past and turned around and came back. He approached me and the first thing he said was “Hey, you’re Larry Janesky!” “Yeah,” I said, shocked – partly that he knew me, and partly that after standing there for seven hours someone actually stopped.
“I saw your movie! Your movie is the reason I’m here. My wife let me come because of it!” “Cool!” I said. “Can you help me? I’m out of gas.” “Yeah I think so.”
Mercy.
Just then, another similar ATV came by and stopped. It was his friend. They were Canadian, from Manitoba. Their machines had much more gas than was necessary to get from pit to pit – and they weren’t in it to win it, they were just in it to finish.
I pulled the suction tube from my hydration pack off and we used an empty water bottle to siphon gas out of one of their gas tanks. I didn’t need much. He asked if he could take a picture with me to show his wife. I took a picture of them too. Thank God for the friendly Canadians!
They headed out. I got on the satellite phone and called Andrew. “Andrew! I got gas! I’m heading out!” “But Arturo is on his way again,” he said. I thought about it. If Arturo got to where I was and didn’t see me, he’d keep going, looking for me. He’d never find me since I would be moving faster than he was ahead of him – and it was another 150 miles to the van again. He didn’t have a satellite phone.
“Are you kidding me?” I thought to myself. I waited six and a half hours for gas, now I got it, and I can’t go? Arturo was a great guy. He was caring, thoughtful, concerned, and a great rider. He was taking care of me. I couldn’t just leave. If I waited for him, he’d see me and turn back. It was 39 miles if he turned back, and 150 if he went straight.
The sun was up. The warmth was more than welcomed. I waited. Twenty minutes later a light approached. Here he was at last. “Mr. Janesky, I am so sorry. I tried my best…” I told Arturo to call me Larry a bunch of times, but that’s the kind of guy he was. He apologized profusely. I told him not to worry, it was my fault.
His first attempt he had a five-gallon can between his legs with a tie down around his neck and the gas can handle. This attempt, he had a two-gallon water jug 2/3 full of gas, carrying it in the same manner. He had work boots and jeans on. I poured more gas into my tank, thanked him sincerely, and packed up quickly. I switched goggles with him as my lenses were full of micro scratches from the dust and condensation. The 714x fired up.
A week after I’d return, I’d be listening to a podcast and it would say “A two-million-dollar Ferrari is useless if it runs out of gas.” “Yeah,” I thought, shaking my head.
I sped away from Arturo. I clicked through the gears. It was light out and most of the dust making dragons were past me. I felt good. My body was working. I pushed miles behind me.
I was free.
“I saw your Movie” I love that.
Waited all weekend for this part.
Relief.
Read like I am there with you! Fantastic writing Larry !
Read like I am there with you !!
I like what you wrote about misstakes. But how many of us are brave enough to say, yeah, I messed up royally or that I overreacted because so much built up and I lost control even though I did my best to control the situation ? How many people are capable of forgiving a misstake done by someone else? If we want to be forgiven we also have to learn to forgive … a sincer appology following a realization is so powerful. We all make misstakes because we are humans who try and learn. We change from day to day.
Go Captain Fantastic!
When you forgive you let the prisoner free.
Then you find out the prisoner was you.
In ancient Hebrew the word sin in the Bible simply means to error, make a mistake. One can make a mistake (sin) in ones thoughts, words and deeds. The teaching as I understand it is to pay attention ,gain awareness , learn from one’s mistakes (sins) correct behavior, don’t repeat again and move on (Forgive yourself). The force is with you .Peace
Larry Janesky, I hope you will forgive me for this but I publicly have to forgive you so I can set myself free. Deep down I still harbor a hidden resentment for being rejected during my relentless attempts of forming a bond to achieve a position at your organization. I understand that I do not fit the mold and that I am the only one responsible for the emotional turmoil the received multiple rejections put me through. My gratitude for your work and your contribution to society through the daily encouragements and examples of self mastery ups and downs still stands. I forgive you for thinking that only employed candidates are proven reliable workers (there are always exceptions to every rule), I forgive the world for all the injustices and I forgive myself for being so sensitive and fragile in a blind consumerized selfish world.
There, I said it, and now the world will be a much better place because I roled a big stone off my chest.