Joseph Olivarez

Recently, I exited multiple mountain biking group chats on WhatsApp. Not because I dislike the people. I genuinely enjoy them. They’re good people. But hundreds and hundreds of messages, videos, pictures, notifications, updates, and conversations constantly flooding my phone began to feel overwhelming. It started feeling less like community and more like noise. And honestly, I think many of us are carrying more mental and emotional input than human beings were ever designed to process.

The valleys teach things the mountaintops never can. The injuries teach things health never can. The disappointments teach things success never can. The losses teach things comfort never can.

Because deep down, I know this: My kids won’t remember how dialed my routine was. They’ll remember if I was there.