About Road Painter
Hello, I’m Jim and I’m a Road Painter. Hi, Jim!
I’ve been creating and organizing bicycle rides, races and triathlons since 1992. Among other things, I plan the routes, paint the roads and show people the way.
Incidentally, 1992 is also the year I got sober. If you know alcoholics, it’s no great surprise to see one find his way into sobriety and then almost immediately take off in pursuit of the next great thing! It’s been said that alcoholics are egomaniacs with an inferiority complex. For me, that means I have a big enough ego to think that, despite having no experience, I can create something grand out of nothing, all the while worrying that I’m not good enough to pull it off and you might discover me for a fraud.
1992 brought a couple of changes in my life: DAM J.A.M. began, and I found a new way to live in my own skin.
There’s a lot of story since 1992 and you can ask me about it if you’re interested. But the point of this little essay is simply that after nearly 20 sober years and a lot of experiences further down the path, “road painter” seems like an apt metaphor for planning, leadership and some life lessons I’ve learned on this crazy journey.
Road Painter is about way-finding, participant support, hospitality and customer-oriented thinking. It’s about designing a great user experience. It’s about giving, sharing, planning and team building. It’s about trying to do something fun, well.
As a road painter, I’ve learned about community service, civic involvement, leadership, work ethics, love, and relationships.
Because of these experiences, I’ve had opportunities to be with and learn from some very smart, capable and inspiring people. I’ve been sought out and asked to become engaged in my community. The skills I’ve learned have crossed over to my work life and enhanced my career.
Doing a good job on these events is less about my ego now. It matters more that it makes a difference in people’s health, fitness and social lives. It matters because every event has a social and economic impact on the communities it touches. It’s a way of helping others. It matters because it’s one way of giving and having fun and creating something that lasts.
In 1992, I didn’t realize how great life is when you can remember each day, follow through on plans, tell the truth and keep your word. I never would have thought I’d still be sober after all this time, or that organizing a little bike ride and inviting a few people back in 1992 would have made such a big difference in my life. But it turns out that being a Road Painter is a creative exercise and gives me real job satisfaction. I’ve learned that when I slow down and pay attention, being a Road Painter helps show me the way.
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