Geppetto wished Pinocchio could be a “real boy.” We know Pinocchio for his long nose, but a cool part of the story happened when The Blue Fairy granted Master Geppetto’s wish and transformed his lifeless wooden puppet into a real boy. Sometimes I wish I could be a real cyclist. By “real” I mean riding a […]
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Why THOSE Kids?
“Why do you support kids halfway around the world?” Good question. Simple answer: when we started doing this we asked where we could help and were directed to Project Rescue and this specific HOME OF HOPE. So we said YES. “Why don’t you do something locally?” Good question, not quite so simple. So I dig […]
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Butterflies Are(n’t Always) Free
We’ve been asked a few times recently about the significance of the butterfly-and-barbed-wire symbol. It’s actually part of the Project Rescue logo. We use it to symbolize our link with that wonderful organization. The butterfly represents the hope of a restored life for women and children rescued from slavery. The barbed wire, of course, recalls […]
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What If The Result Isn’t The Goal?
In 2013 Becky and I did a 1000-mile tour around the perimeter of Florida. Well, 1000 miles was the goal. Before we finished there was a slight Bump In The Road in the form of a nasty infection that landed me in the hospital for a few days and ended the tour. I tried to claim I […]
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Are You Riding The Tour de France?
If you race, you’re going to lose – get used to it. In next month’s Tour de France, 198 elite cyclists will leave the starting line. After 21 days and more than 2,000 miles of racing, one man will wear the winner’s yellow jersey. The other 197, the best riders in the world, will lose. And this […]
Continue readingMore TagWidgets Or Art?
Widget makers value consistency. Every widget must be exactly alike, so the factory thrives on rules and procedures designed to produce conformity. On the assembly line it’s about interchangeable parts and elimination of individualism, freedom, creativity. Not a value judgement, just what’s required to produce consistently high-quality widgets. The FREEDOM TOUR is more art studio […]
Continue readingMore TagGlory Days?
Everyone has a story. We’ve heard it a million times, but what if it’s wrong? Or, what if there’s perhaps a better, more helpful way to think of it. Suppose, instead of “I have a story,” you and I re-frame the narrative a bit. You don’t have a story. You are a story. Suppose, rather […]
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Where’s The Hope?
Their mothers are slaves, forced into prostitution in horrific, degrading conditions. They were born in a brothel, destined to life as sexual slaves on G.B. Road, literally one of the darkest, saddest, most hopeless places on Earth. No notion of education. Or play. Nothing we associate with a “normal” childhood. They’re not even really part […]
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It’s Just A Saturday
I’m not a fan of bureaucracy. During my teaching career I consistently chafed against rules designed (I thought) mostly to sustain the organization. It all begins with good intentions and before you know what happened you’ve got committees, meetings, org charts, and lists of rules. And when you ask “Why?” they say something about consistency, […]
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Putting Perfection In Context
A few folks from our team sported the new jerseys at last weekend’s ELEPHANT ROCK CYCLING FESTIVAL. So begins FREEDOM TOUR 2018. For the next few weeks our house becomes a staging area for jerseys, food, coolers, bikes, flyers, posters, trailers, and all sorts of miscellaneous stuff. We’ll scramble to get everything ready, and I’m […]
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Thoughts About Digging Up Seeds
I tend to decide whether something’s worthwhile based on short-term results. No matter how much I resist, my inner critic looks at how many dollars, how many riders, how fast, how far – and makes snap judgments about success or failure. Everyone’s smiling? All good. Someone’s unhappy? We failed. Jesus didn’t tell many manufacturing/building stories […]
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Great Guidance
“If you just do a bike ride, you’ll finish feeling unsatisfied.” Dick Foth offered maybe the best guidance I ever received. I was preparing in 2011 for my 1500-mile handcycle ride along the Mississippi River when Dick advised me to share the story of following this crazy God-sized dream. Honestly, I thought telling my story […]
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