“Real integrity is doing the right thing, knowing that nobody’s going to know whether you did it or not.” – Oprah Winfrey
Given the recent news about Lance Armstrong, I thought this quote by Oprah Winfrey was the perfect reminder – the perfect reminder of the moral compass to which we should strive. This photo was taken on February 22, 2009 by my husband, Charlie, as the Amgen Tour of California cyclists zoomed past our home near Escondido, California.
I was taking care of the “Family Business” that day (eldercare), so I wasn’t able to witness this event and I begged Charlie to go out to the road to take pictures as they came through our valley on the last leg of this 8-stage event. Lance Armstrong didn’t win that day, but he was awarded a blue jersey for “Most Courageous”.
To me, Oprah’s quote embodies what he should have been doing all along and while he has certainly had his own serious health battles and is, indeed, courageous for having overcome those battles, true integrity is as Oprah simply states: “doing the right thing, knowing that nobody’s going to know whether you did it or not.”
Here are more of Charlie’s pictures from that day:
Valley neighbors gather to watch the Amgen Tour of California.
Police car clears the way for the Amgen Tour of California.
Notice the large beautiful tree that appears “blasted” from the inside out? That is one of the lingering results of the San Diego Witch Fire in 2007 that coursed through our valley on October 22, 2007. You can read our story about this fire that destroyed our home starting with my post, Any Way the Wind Blows.
The first cyclists approach on the Amgen Tour of California.
The cyclists whiz by our house.
The end in sight – oh, did I mention that they are returning to Escondido this year? They will be starting the race on May 12th in Escondido. Stay tuned for more photos (I hope)!
Tootles,
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