My favorite bicycle pedal has been discontinued… which gives me a choice of buying up old stock or re-building the existing pedals for the rest of my biking life. Or… I could explore and find a replacement…
I like to type on a 107 year old typewriter… but using old pedals is something else!!
In the decade I stopped bowling I recalled all the good moments… the league championships, the 300 game; I convinced myself I had been a good bowler and each year transformed myself into a near great one. When I returned to league bowling this year… I sucked… so I worked hard to regain my old skills. Only when I started bowling on a level my delusions recalled did I learn I had become the bowler I wanted to be and never had been. Just think… this would never have happened if I had settled for reality.
Some of us reach the point where we realize that if we were on the game show Survivor, we would be voted off early. The degree of deception and rejection of ethics is just beyond our abilities…
When I ride my bicycle across the state of Iowa. I see people on bikes that look like they cost $79.95 who pass me and finish strong. I see people on bikes that list for over $10,000 and they fail to reach the end of the ride. If I were a better person I would feel the same about every bike and every rider. Yet I look at those on a heavy bike, few gears and I know they do what I can not. I look at those on an expensive machine and I have problems understanding why they fail to finish. I am human and I am being unfair… and I know I am blessed to have ridden 20 times across the state and that every rider on every bike deserves praise for their efforts. Its why I keep going back…
In just 4 years, Iowa will host the 50th bicycle ride across the state. I can just imagine all the people who will return for one last ride… as well as the many thoughts of those who no longer take to the road but still ride in our thoughts.
