Personal update;

I have a life outside of this blog and outside of my job, though the three are very closely linked and there is little in my personal life that I have omitted from this space in the nearly three years I have been blogging here. That said, I have kept many things private- my private life is just that... private. However, I have also cultivated a very public life via this blog- both for better and for worse. I have made many friends in the bike industry, outside of the bike industry, with consumers, with retailers, with the marketing community and with many other people I would have never met otherwise. Many of those people come to this space to get updates on me and my life, and not just on the Masi products. That is something that truly means a lot to me and I am blessed to have the many friends that I do.

All of that said, it will come as a surprise to nearly everyone who has been a regular reader of this blog that I am in the midst of a divorce. Out of respect for the privacy of my ex-to-be and our children, I am not going to go into any details about the divorce. Like many marriages, we had problems for years and they eventually took their toll on our marriage. We've been separated for several months now and that is the major reason why my postings here and elsewhere have been less frequent. I've had a lot on my mind outside of blogging, to say the very least.

The most important issue for me is my kids and they both seem to be handling all of this very well. My wife/ ex-to-be and I have been working very hard to protect their lives and keep things as normal as possible. This means that we share custody on a week on/ week off schedule so that we both have real, quality time with both children. I won't lie and say things are perfect, because they certainly aren't, but things are going as well as one might hope they would.

Why am I choosing to blog about this all now? Well, for a number of reasons- it's easier than sending a ton of emails to all the people I know, it keeps me from explaining what is happening in my life one uncomfortable conversation at a time (which really is more painful than tedious) and because I have been such a proponent of transparency in blogging- it seems I should put my money where my mouth is. During a "conversation" with my ex over the weekend, she pointed out the fact that my blog has been all about the good things happening in my life. She also pointed out that I have been living in a bit of a vacuum- not talking to anybody about the divorce or any of the things happening in my non-blog life. I realized she was right, so here I am.

I'm not fishing for sympathy or support or anything. I'm simply getting this "confession" off my chest so I can get back to my job and focus on what I need to focus on. Family first, so the posting will continue to be sporadic and will continue to jump around. I have turned off comments for this post because I am not asking for a big discussion, I just want to move on- both privately and professionally.

This time in my life feels like such a Greek tragedy; this is the best time of my professional life and yet the worst time of my private life. Still, I know some folks who are in far worse shape than myself and I try to recognize that blessing every day, no matter how hard it might be some days.

I thank all of you who have become regular readers and friends. As corny as it might sound, I really do feel lucky to have the community that has grown around this blog- I am humbled more than you know by each comment and each new friend.

Regular bike-related posting to follow soon... I promise.

Tim
PS- I also ask that you keep my ex-to-be in your thoughts and prayers too. Divorce is never easy for either party involved.