Retirement has certain blessings.
One of those involves returning to my former school as a guest speaker and observing looks of envy on the faces of previous colleagues. I tried not to talk about the sense of freedom and the winter trip to Florida—okay, I didn’t try very hard. What’s the point of having an advantage if you don’t rub a little salt in the wound when you get the chance?
But the real blessing of retirement is a number of paradigm shifts.
As a teacher, spring was always a time of endings. May was about closing things down, wrapping up projects and saying good-bye. When I visited those students and teachers last week, the entire building had an unmistakable atmosphere of conclusion. It was time to finish.
As we waited, I asked several kids their plans for the summer. Chill, rest, and sleep were the most common responses. I get it—they’re closing a chapter. Plus, they’re teenagers—what else would they say?
So when I spoke, I asked them to adopt a different perspective. I asked them to let go of stopping and consider the opportunities ahead. I invited them to think about words like dream, goal, and possibility.
I want us to do likewise.
In four short weeks, our team of eleven cyclists will take off on a new adventure called Front Range FREEDOM Tour. We’ll ride along the foothills of Colorado’s beautiful Front Range, from the urban north to the sparsely-populated south. Over the course of eight days we’ll ride from Laramie, Wyoming to Trinidad, Colorado—and hopefully to the top of Raton Pass.
I hope you’ll follow along as we prepare and journey together. We need you in the circle to encourage and support us. But I think it’s bigger than that.
It’s awfully easy to let May slide into June, spring slide into summer. And then you blink and the trees are changing colors and you start saying things like, “Where did summer go?”
I invite you to use this trip as a springboard to think about words like dream, goal, and possibility.
We believe our simple bike tour will change the world by creating awareness about the issue of human trafficking. We intend to lend our legs and lungs to the message that human beings should not buy other human beings.
What’s your dream? How would you like to change the world? What are some possibilities and opportunities you might explore? What might happen if you began the summer on purpose?
Don’t allow another season to slip by. Find your own way to engage with your faith. Jump in.
Do something remarkable.
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There’s still time to join the team.
We putting the logistics of the tour together, and there are still lots of ways to be involved. Even if you can’t ride, you can be part of the fun as a member of our support team. Send us an email and let’s explore how you can join us and engage with this amazing adventure.
Please leave a comment here.
