As many of you knew, me and partner in crime, JR, had plans to ride across the United States on our bikes this summer. Newt had courageously volunteered to support us. In addition, we wanted to use the opportunity to fundraise for a local non-profit. Unfortunately, our summer is not a vacuum in which life does not continue to happen.
Since our initial commitment, I decided to teach a Sociology course to high-schoolers. JR got engaged (i.e., committed to planning a wedding) and earned a prestigious opportunity to build an internet-based classroom in Ethopia. Further, we ran into communication hurdles with two potential non-profits (Apparently, it is difficult to give people money). Given these complications, the epic bike ride seemed out of reach, and we decided to postpone this endeavor indefinitely.
At first, I was sad, angry, and a little embarrassed. In my mind, this was a true test of my ability, and I was ready to see what I was made of. I was ready to ride away from academia for a while and experience the quiet of Nowhere, USA. Riding across the country with Newt and JR would be unique experience in relationship building. So, needless to say, when we canceled the trip, I had to reconcile the deflation of these expectations.
After spending too long on a closed door, I've grouped and taken advantage of a few reopened doors! I'm going to spend a weekend in LA with Tracy's family. I'm planning to do a few trail races. My dad, my sister, and I are meeting in Colorado to bag some 14ers (ala 2006). In Colorado, I'll see my good friend, Adam, who is always on the precipice of something adventurous. Finally, I'm going to spend some time in Georgia. During these weeks, I will still have the opportunity to be epic, be reflective, and build some relationships!
I cannot iterate enough how valuable this experience has been. My process has been solid. I'm glad I was ambitious, and it was a valuable experience to handle the scaling-down of and eventual shift away from an epic adventure. JR and I struggled a lot in our handling of it all, and I think we both learned a lot. Most importantly, we became stronger as friends. Looking ahead, I am very much looking forward to the new adventure plan. Finally, I am ever-grateful for family and friends that are willing to jump on the trail at the drop of a hat!
Create your own momentum.
1 comment:
You once told me that "life is baseball". Now you know that life itself is EPIC. Whether you are in center field or grad school or on a bike ride or atop a fourteener, the biggest and best lessons are learned just living life.. and it up to each of us to define "life".
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