When you encounter a life-altering event, others are always eager to advise you when it’s time to move on.
At the time of my injury in 1987, I wanted to get semi-serious about cycling. I’d purchased what, at the time, was a decent road bike.
Twenty-seven years passed, and that bike sat in a few basements. Friends kept telling me to get rid of the bike, and I honestly can’t tell you why I kept it. I wasn’t especially attached to it, but for some reason it just didn’t feel right to dump it.
Recently two events clicked into place. I’ve met these guys from Harvest Farm who want to ride a day on the FRONT RANGE FREEDOM TOUR. One man in particular likes road cycling but doesn’t have a bike, and he’s just about the right height for my old frame.
Then a guy named Andrew joined our week-long team. Andrew’s a graduate of the Harvest Farm program, and he’s a bike nut. He loves to fix up old bikes. And I knew why I’d kept that bike all those years.
So Andrew carefully removed layers of dust and grime, replaced cables and tires, and applied a bit of TLC to a classic that hadn’t seen the sunlight for more than a quarter-century.
And earlier this week Andrew went to the farm and passed it on to a guy who’ll roll down the road and sweat and hopefully experience some of the joy I feel when I ride my bike.
Life’s not about things, it’s about stories and relationships. I could’ve sold that bike or donated it or junked it years ago, gotten it out of the way and moved on. I suppose it wouldn’t have been a big deal, but I wouldn’t have had this great story to remember and share.
I’m glad I waited.
Have you even experienced someone trying to rush your own “moving on” process?
How did you respond? Was their input helpful?
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We’re updating our team’s MILES OF LOVE graphic.
I like the notion that a group of kids halfway around the world gets to watch this house slowly fill with color as we prepare for our tour. Who knows how they understand what we’re doing or what it means to them. It’ll be interesting to get some feedback as we go along.
I think about them a lot as I ride. I’ll bet my teammates do as well. This is just one more way to remind all of us that we’re not dealing with numbers when we talk about human trafficking.
These are individual children, and every one of them matters.
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