The Chess Tournament Metaphor

 

I did a really good job of getting my bicycle serviced today.  It was really stressful...I almost didn't get transportation set up, and then, when I got to Rice University, where Rice bikes was located, I couldn't find the bike shop at first.  I asked a few people and called the bicycle shop...they pointed out to me that I could look for the hall that they were near on my Apple Maps app.  So I found it and dropped it off!  Good thing, too, because my bicycle needs over $100 worth of repairs!  It had at least 3 things wrong with it that I didn't know about.  So it's good that I took it in.

I have one job offer coming up.  I might get another one.  I'll decide whether to accept the job with WIS International soon...by Friday at 3 p.m. for sure.  I saw two police cars today.  One came by at 3:20 p.m.  That made me think, later, of "chess tournament."  The thing is, when things are stressful and I feel like it's one challenging/uncertain thing after another, sometimes it is a good idea to reframe your experiences as "like a chess tournament."  I.e., by getting my bicycle in today, I won a big chess match.  The next chess match is getting the training wheels installed (Rice bikes said they might not be able to order them and install them, so I might have to take the bicycle to a different shop for training wheels), and if I can get that done, I'm the winner of the "chess tournament!"  I'll be able to commute to work easily, assuming I don't have any trouble with the bicycle after it's fully fixed and the training wheels are set up!

I'm going to go eat some nuts--as part of my Mediterranean diet, which is really good and going well so far (although the corn tortilla shells I bought sort of taste like dirty shoes, but it's not that bad...I'll get non-corn shells next time)--and then go get some sleep!  Tomorrow will be more relaxing!  I'll get an email from Rice Bikes when my bicycle is ready for pick up.

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