Pay it forward

Dirty old slide scan of Kelly Baker from 1977, give or take...
Dirty old slide scan of Kelly Baker from 1977, give or take…

I was in Kelly Bakers kitchen a couple of days ago eating dinner with him and his family, and he was telling me a story about how a stranger had helped him and his family, and when Kelly Offered to compensate him for his help, the stranger just said- ” Pay it Forward”

I thought about it a lot, especially on a long drive home, by myself, on the anniversary of my best friends death, I just kept repeating that phrase over and over. It seemed like a notion lost in a world of regret, remorse, debt, and time passed that we can never get back. An old song lyric played in my head “..regrets and promises haunt my mind…”

I got home, spent the weekend occupying my brain, my emotions, and trying to have a good time being positive, and I kept thinking- Pay it forward. I’m not sure I even understood what it really meant, but I decided on my own interpretation of it, and reflected on a life filled with so many friends, good times, struggles, opportunities, failures, success’ and more.

I thought about all the great people, and how they have enabled my friends and I, and how they have empowered us with inspiration, influence, and by supporting all of us, whether it be within FBM, or just our day to day.

I was kind of overwhelmed, and I thought, Pay it forward.

Rather than wait to say thanks for good deeds gone by, or apologies for situations gone awry, or for ever missing out on a chance to express my sincere gratitude to the many many great people in my life, and in the shared experience of FBM, I am hoping to start a new approach, and pay it forward.

On that note, thank you to EVERYONE, for making FBM so awesome, for sharing so much of BMX, and the world beyond with myself, and all the amazing people that have helped create FBM, and all that it is….

I know it’s just a gesture, but I hope it’s one in good faith that people will appreciate, all the good people, friends, loved ones, and the greater FBM Family.

Come out this weekend and have a good time with us, my first tangible physical act of paying it forward…

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