(Sounds like it might be controversial. It’s not.) A lot of what I know, I learned from kids. That happens when you hang out in classrooms for 35 years. If you listen to them, they tell you lots of interesting stuff. I’ve told you before about a question many students asked. I recall one instance. […]
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Risky Or Hard?
When you talk to people about bike tours, there’s a lot of conversation about what’s hard. My friend Jim says riding a bike for a worthy cause really isn’t a big deal. What’s hard for Jim is taking time away from his family. Some folks look at the route and decide it’s impossible. Others think […]
Continue readingMore TagLosing Vision
Last time I said handcycling had become more about results than process. A reader gently reminded me that perhaps I was being a bit short-sighted. I appreciated the conversation and an opportunity to look deeper. We can’t know, on this side of eternity, the long-term results of our efforts. We do what we can, with […]
Continue readingMore TagSomething To Ponder
“Sometimes you have to do what you don’t have to do.” I love encountering this sort of quote. I’ve been ruminating about it for a few days, trying to figure out what I might say. I came down to this question: What’s something I have to do, that I don’t have to do? Before I […]
Continue readingMore Tag72. Done!
Well, we did it! Becky and I had a lot of fun “riding my age” on Tuesday. That doesn’t mean it was easy to do 72 miles on my 72nd birthday, but easy wasn’t the point. We did a big loop around Loveland/Fort Collins and then a smaller loop around Fort Collins to finish the […]
Continue readingMore TagWrecking A Classroom
Isaac Newton invented calculus in isolation. Newton was a student at Cambridge University in 1665 when students were sent home in fear of bubonic plague. Studying privately, Newton developed the basic ideas of calculus…as well as gravitational theory and optics. Most of us are not Isaac Newton. Perhaps the most powerful lesson I learned in […]
Continue readingMore TagScattering Seeds
A few more comments to follow up on the last two posts about legacy & making a difference. After my talk on Saturday, people were gracious – as always. All sorts of comments about the impact of the story and how I’ve touched so many people along the way. I appreciate the kindness. But comments […]
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I met this gentleman in 2011 when I spoke to a group of homeless people at a church in downtown Jackson, Mississippi during the Mississippi River ride. This picture was taken a year later. We were invited back to speak to some members of the congregation and this fellow walked up and told me a […]
Continue readingMore TagAnyway Video 2013-2023
For 11 years, our friend Kristen Orphan has generously allowed us to use her beautiful version of ANYWAY as the FREEDOM TOUR theme song. The first time I heard the song, one particular line struck me: You can chase a dream that seems so out of reachand you know it might not ever come your […]
Continue readingMore TagRemembering Rolling Fork
In 2011, near the end of our 1500-mile Mississippi River bike ride, we were invited to visit the small community of Rolling Fork, Mississippi. The wonderful people we met there have always been a special memory. So our hearts were broken by images of the horrific storm that devastated Rolling Fork last week. Like so […]
Continue readingMore TagAccountable Or Responsible
Lots of conversation these days about accountability. To me, though, most of this “accountability” is just about pointing fingers and blaming. There’s nothing wrong with holding people accountable when they’ve done something wrong, but I think we confuse it with a bigger idea. What we really want, I think, is for people to take responsibility. […]
Continue readingMore TagService And Perspective
I believe we were created to serve. God. Other people. The Creation. When we serve, we’re being Christ-like. “The world looks vastly different when on one’s knees washing someone’s feet. I think that is why Jesus chose this for the disciples’ final group act before the cross. Is there a relationship in your life where […]
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