Foo - Mtb tragedy, and life in general.

I didn't know the guy, but I was looking over at mtbr. Apparently this man dan yu passed away while riding his mtb. He was over at china camp, he tried to clip in and lost his balance, fell 4-5 feet to a lower trail and landed directly on his head, he died a little later. He took third in the expert 55+ class at sea otter, apparently was well known around the norcal boards. His picture looks very familar, I may have passed him or saw him a few times somewhere....

Anyways, I just wanted to say that life is a precious thing and sometimes I feel we take it for granted. We get up everyday and do our usual routines, and sometimes neglect the more important things in life. The people we love, the things we are blessed with, and most importantly the health we have to do the things we love. So people, when your loved ones get home today, express to them you love them, give them a hug. You never know when they are going to be gone, they could leave you tomorow. You could leave tomorow. Let's not take the privelage of being able to ride for granted. Ride hard, no regrets, and enjoy yourselves. Who knows when our day is.

Have a great day people. .:hugs:.

I'll try not to grit my teeth too much thinking about the dentist :)

How horrible. :(

My thoughts with his family.

It's just so sad that an experienced mtbiker could fall over and be killed, it just doesn't seem fair. It wasn't like he tried to do a 100 foot drop like that ****** bender, and bender survived.. gosh.

~9,499
that's approximately how many people, besides this person, died in the same day in the US

or ~146,000
that's apprx how many people die in the world each day

now that is sad

It's just so sad that an experienced mtbiker could fall over and be killed, it just doesn't seem fair. It wasn't like he tried to do a 100 foot drop like that ****** bender, and bender survived.. gosh.
I have a firm belief that the number of my days is predetermined. Each of us is born on a specific day and will die on a specific day. What we can do in between those two days is up to us. Try to live each day without regrets and do it the best that you can do.

I have a firm belief that the number of my days is predetermined. Each of us is born on a specific day and will die on a specific day. What we can do in between those two days is up to us. Try to live each day without regrets and do it the best that you can do.
Well said. Live with no regret, never look back. I should try to do that :)

At first I thought someone stole your new bike.

But this is worse - very sad :(

Well said. Live with no regret, never look back. I should try to do that :)

You'd better go back to that bike shop ASAP Pheard. ;)

Look, he died doing something he loved......does it get any better? I could think of worse ways! I feel for his family, but when I go, I'd love it to be doing something I love at the time! Either that or by being chased around my desk as a 109 year old professor by a 19 year old hot co-ed!

I want to get caught in a combine machine...now thats a MANS way to go.

I have a firm belief that the number of my days is predetermined. Each of us is born on a specific day and will die on a specific day. What we can do in between those two days is up to us. Try to live each day without regrets and do it the best that you can do.

If we did know the day of our departure, I am fairly certain everyone would live each day differently than they do now.

What a beautiful, heartfelt post. It can really get easy to lose perspective sometimes with all that goes on in the world sometimes, let alone our personal lives. I often have to remind myself how wonderful it is to be alive...to be able to love, dance, breathe and feel. Just today as I was walking a half block to the bank to make a deposit, I felt the cold sting of winter bite my ears and cheeks. I saw the swirl of smoke fade away as it escaped my mouth and all I could think was how amazing it was that I am able to feel this...I really feel lucky sometimes to have a healthy body and to be able to experience such a wide spectrum of thoughts, emotions and experiences. I want to feel the bitter chill that makes me shiver so that when the sun comes to warm me it will be all that much warmer. I want to feel the sadness of pain and despair for how else can I truly feel what is total happiness and how else can I empathize with others who are feeling this way. I'm not an overly emotional or sensitive person by most standards, but I am recently starting to realize that letting myself feel whatever my body and mind is feeling, even if it is uncomfortable. I think it helps me to connect with myself and others better. I try my best not to regret anything in my past. I would never want to change who I am now.

Thanks shadiyah, it's nice to read another person's perspective. Joe is a lucky man.

It reminds me of this morning, after I saw the thread at mtbr about dan yu's death. I had accidently dropped something heavy on my toe, and it hurt like heck. It's still throbbing a bit right now. For some reason a line from that movie "GI Jane" came into my mind, "pain is your ally, it let's you know your not dead yet". Instantly I didn't care about the pain(my toenail is cracked btw :lol: ), I thought to myself how lucky I am to be alive and be able to feel pain. That through feeling pain, I can appreciate the opposite.

Thank you for posting this. :) It was a bit of a "wake-up" call like you were saying about your toe. Strange thing about pain...it is one of those things that can really bring people together. When a group of people feel pain about losing a loved one, it brings them together. When someone goes through pain in a hospital and there are loved ones there to support you, it brings them together. It's no wonder why women (mostly) fall right in love with thier babies and have such an instant connection with them after all that torture of having them.

If we did know the day of our departure, I am fairly certain everyone would live each day differently than they do now.
Agreed, but I am only a man and all I can do is try, which usually is not good enough.

Thank you for posting this. :) It was a bit of a "wake-up" call like you were saying about your toe. Strange thing about pain...it is one of those things that can really bring people together. When a group of people feel pain about losing a loved one, it brings them together. When someone goes through pain in a hospital and there are loved ones there to support you, it brings them together. It's no wonder why women (mostly) fall right in love with thier babies and have such an instant connection with them after all that torture of having them.
It's sad that something tragic has to happen to bring people together. After reading the mtbr thread it kind of scared me that someone who was riding a relatively tame trail could have an accident to the extent of it being fatal. I thought to myself, man I ride real tame trails and something like this could happen to me. I'm over it now though, and feel like maybe all we can do is be careful and take life as it comes. Sometimes tragic, however.

Better to die doing something you love than in a hospital bed.

Better to die doing something you love than in a hospital bed.

I agree, but hopefully he hadn't overlooked something basic to protect himself - like wearing a helmet. That would add "senseless" to "tragic". I really feel for his friends and family.

Sad story, but when it's your time, that's it. Best to make the most of what little time you have before it's all over. At least he was enjoying his.

Circumstances can be weird, there have been people that have died falling off their bikes in their driveways as well.

It's sad that something tragic has to happen to bring people together. After reading the mtbr thread it kind of scared me that someone who was riding a relatively tame trail could have an accident to the extent of it being fatal. I thought to myself, man I ride real tame trails and something like this could happen to me. I'm over it now though, and feel like maybe all we can do is be careful and take life as it comes. Sometimes tragic, however.


Happiness can bring people together as well...perhaps just sharing a strong emotion does it. Almost everything we do as humans will have a bit of a risk to it. We just have to take life as it comes, like you say, learn from our mistakes and savor every moment.

savor every moment.This reminds me of the Buddhist story about the tiger and the strawberries. :)

This reminds me of the Buddhist story about the tiger and the strawberries. :)

A story with tigers and strawberries? Do tell! :)

This reminds me of the Buddhist story about the tiger and the strawberries. :)
Sounds like you've watched "Bulletproof Monk"!:D
Must resist temptation to steal thunder.................must resist!:eek:

http://www.garybabb.net/Deepthoughts.jpg

A story with tigers and strawberries? Do tell! :)It's one of the earliest koans you learn at the temples about being mindful and intentional in each moment of life. The story by Hsu Yan goes something like this:


Once, a young monk named Chan was sent forth from the monastery to carry a message to another monastery far away. As he walked through the dense forest, he caught glimpses of orange fur in the dappled shade and heard low growls. Surmising that he was being stalked by a tiger, he quickened his steps, but the large cat easily kept pace with him. Fear gnawed at the young monk, and he began to run blindly through the trees, leaving the path he knew in an attempt to outdistance the hungry cat whose panting breath he could feel upon his neck.

The monk lost his way, and to his terror, found himself at the edge of a great precipice. Behind him, he heard the tiger stop, and begin pacing back and forth among the trees, its golden eyes glinting among the leaves. Shaking, the monk looked down and saw that there were vines clambering over the jagged rocks and he determined to try and climb down them. Just as he swung himself over the cliff, and began clambering down the vines which creaked under his weight, he heard the tiger roar, and saw it stare balefully down at him from above.

From below cane an answering roar, and the monk startled and looked down to see a second tiger, pacing along the stones that lined the bottom of the cliff face, waiting for him to descend.

Shuddering, the young monk closed his eyes and clung to the vine, his only means of support. The sound of nibbling teeth caught his attention and he opened his eyes to see a mouse chewing at the vine that held him suspended between the hungry cats.

Next to the mouse, he saw a flash of red.

A wild strawberry grew in a crevice of the stone, and a lone fruit shone invitingly.

The monk reached out, and plucking the crimson fruit, held it to his nose. The sweet fragrance rushed into his nostrils as the last bit of the vine gave way and the monk began to fall. As he plummeted toward the tiger, the monk popped the strawberry in his mouth, and the flavor was the sweetest thing he had ever experienced.

Imagine what that strawberry would taste like if you knew it was the last experience of your mortal body. You can feel the texture of the seeds on the outside as you gently place it on your tongue and roll it around. You gently bite into it and the sweet juices rush out in an explosion of flavor. Chewing it well and swishing it around your mouth, you notice the alternating tanginess and sweetness before swallowing... yuummmm.... A short transitory moment in life, but yet an eternity. The idea is to enjoy every moment in life like this. :)

that man of chan chose a pointless death; at least if he had stuck around the tiger would have been fed:rolleyes:

I'm totally going to read that story, when I get back from the evil dentist.

It's one of the earliest koans you learn at the temples about being mindful and intentional in each moment of life. The story by Hsu Yan goes something like this:


Once, a young monk named Chan was sent forth from the monastery to carry a message to another monastery far away. As he walked through the dense forest, he caught glimpses of orange fur in the dappled shade and heard low growls. Surmising that he was being stalked by a tiger, he quickened his steps, but the large cat easily kept pace with him. Fear gnawed at the young monk, and he began to run blindly through the trees, leaving the path he knew in an attempt to outdistance the hungry cat whose panting breath he could feel upon his neck.

The monk lost his way, and to his terror, found himself at the edge of a great precipice. Behind him, he heard the tiger stop, and begin pacing back and forth among the trees, its golden eyes glinting among the leaves. Shaking, the monk looked down and saw that there were vines clambering over the jagged rocks and he determined to try and climb down them. Just as he swung himself over the cliff, and began clambering down the vines which creaked under his weight, he heard the tiger roar, and saw it stare balefully down at him from above.

From below cane an answering roar, and the monk startled and looked down to see a second tiger, pacing along the stones that lined the bottom of the cliff face, waiting for him to descend.

Shuddering, the young monk closed his eyes and clung to the vine, his only means of support. The sound of nibbling teeth caught his attention and he opened his eyes to see a mouse chewing at the vine that held him suspended between the hungry cats.

Next to the mouse, he saw a flash of red.

A wild strawberry grew in a crevice of the stone, and a lone fruit shone invitingly.

The monk reached out, and plucking the crimson fruit, held it to his nose. The sweet fragrance rushed into his nostrils as the last bit of the vine gave way and the monk began to fall. As he plummeted toward the tiger, the monk popped the strawberry in his mouth, and the flavor was the sweetest thing he had ever experienced.

Imagine what that strawberry would taste like if you knew it was the last experience of your mortal body. You can feel the texture of the seeds on the outside as you gently place it on your tongue and roll it around. You gently bite into it an the sweet juices rush out in an explosion of flavor. Chewing it well and swishing it around your mouth, you notice the alternating tanginess and sweetness before swallowing... yuummmm.... A short transitory moment in life, but yet an eternity. The idea is to enjoy every moment in life like this. :)

Ummm...is it wrong that the last part turns me on a little? ;)

Great story and great meaning behind it! :)

Ummm...is it wrong that the last part turns me on a little? ;)



Only if you are allergic to strawberries.

It's one of the earliest koans you learn at the temples about being mindful and intentional in each moment of life. The story by Hsu Yan goes something like this:


Once, a young monk named Chan was sent forth from the monastery to carry a message to another monastery far away. As he walked through the dense forest, he caught glimpses of orange fur in the dappled shade and heard low growls. Surmising that he was being stalked by a tiger, he quickened his steps, but the large cat easily kept pace with him. Fear gnawed at the young monk, and he began to run blindly through the trees, leaving the path he knew in an attempt to outdistance the hungry cat whose panting breath he could feel upon his neck.

The monk lost his way, and to his terror, found himself at the edge of a great precipice. Behind him, he heard the tiger stop, and begin pacing back and forth among the trees, its golden eyes glinting among the leaves. Shaking, the monk looked down and saw that there were vines clambering over the jagged rocks and he determined to try and climb down them. Just as he swung himself over the cliff, and began clambering down the vines which creaked under his weight, he heard the tiger roar, and saw it stare balefully down at him from above.

From below cane an answering roar, and the monk startled and looked down to see a second tiger, pacing along the stones that lined the bottom of the cliff face, waiting for him to descend.

Shuddering, the young monk closed his eyes and clung to the vine, his only means of support. The sound of nibbling teeth caught his attention and he opened his eyes to see a mouse chewing at the vine that held him suspended between the hungry cats.

Next to the mouse, he saw a flash of red.

A wild strawberry grew in a crevice of the stone, and a lone fruit shone invitingly.

The monk reached out, and plucking the crimson fruit, held it to his nose. The sweet fragrance rushed into his nostrils as the last bit of the vine gave way and the monk began to fall. As he plummeted toward the tiger, the monk popped the strawberry in his mouth, and the flavor was the sweetest thing he had ever experienced.

Imagine what that strawberry would taste like if you knew it was the last experience of your mortal body. You can feel the texture of the seeds on the outside as you gently place it on your tongue and roll it around. You gently bite into it and the sweet juices rush out in an explosion of flavor. Chewing it well and swishing it around your mouth, you notice the alternating tanginess and sweetness before swallowing... yuummmm.... A short transitory moment in life, but yet an eternity. The idea is to enjoy every moment in life like this. :)
Geeze man, I read it, and really enjoyed it. Great story, and great lesson. Thanks for sharing.

I have a firm belief that the number of my days is predetermined. Each of us is born on a specific day and will die on a specific day. What we can do in between those two days is up to us. Try to live each day without regrets and do it the best that you can do.

In the days between for me, I hope to one day own a very fine Merkin.:D

RIP Dan

In the days between for me, I hope to one day own a very fine Merkin.:D
Note to self:*change gift idea for Lecterman on shopping list*

Ummm...is it wrong that the last part turns me on a little? ;)



As long as it is not wrong for your response to turn me on a little :D:p