Off to Montreal.....by bike

In less than 2 hours I will start the Bike Rally to Montreal. A lot has taken place in my life prior to this departure point. The seesaw ride of life continues. I am ready, emotionally and mentally....phyiscally, who knows. I have never done anything life this before so I will see. Am I excited, not yet. Am I nervous no. I have met some wonderful people to share this experience with. Without them in my life I might have quit. Packing day was fun yesterday, so it is a good indication of what I can expect.

The sad part of leaving for me today is that no one in my immediate family has bothered to call and wish me luck or tell me that they are proud of me. But my extended family has been unbelievable supportive. So until my weary butt returns home, be well, be safe and be happy.

And Away We Go.....

In one week the ride starts. I have no idea if I am really ready to undertake a bike ride to Montreal....but it is too late now. There has been a lot going on and I have done my best to get prepared. For the most part, I think the ride won't be a problem. The problem will be for me camping (yuck), public washrooms (yuckier) and outhouses (yuckiest). The ride is a scarific and a challenge for me. One of many that I seem to face. But in general it is all good. Whenever the universe delivers the challenges it also seems to deliver the means to manage the challenges. The ying and yang continue. I have moments in the day when life feels like such a struggle and before days end the universe delivers bliss. It's so fucked. There seemed to be a lot of conversations around happiness in my life yesterday. Perhaps I was the one that kept taking the conversations there. Or perhaps I want to know if the people in my life are ok. There was a general consenous that there wasn't unhappiness. That's good. Maybe me and my friends are finally getting life. There will be joy, there will be sorrow, there will be challenges and rewards. There will be life.

Perfect Lunch/Perfect Friend/Imperfect World

I am one of those people that has only a few close friends. I have never been a group person or been part of a group. I find it too hard. How possibly can 20 or more people all want to do the same thing at the same time, every weekend, over and over again? I just find that you have to scarific too much of who you really are to belong to a group. For a lot of people that makes me odd...or a loner. But along the way I have gathered some amazing people in my life. Some of them I get to see regularly and some of them I don't see often enough. Today I had lunch with my friend Stella....probably one of the most amazing people I know. And the other thing I find truly odd about the people in my life is that they never see how amazing they are. But that is what also keeps them real. We see the trials and tribulations and the joy in everyday life.

The Ride

It is two weeks today that I depart on the ride to Montreal. Yesterday was my last long training ride. It was 120k. It had lots of hills. It had pounding rain. It had some strong winds. It was cold. Ironcially my last long training ride was no different than my first training ride. Miserable. It was made easier by the fact that I shared the ride with the same couple of amazing guys that I shared the first training ride with.

The ride so far has been a challenge. It has also been rewarding. It is nice to feel proud of yourself. For anyone that has sponsored me, again thank you. And I want to assure you your money was well donated. I have been working harder and have had to make more sacrifics than I thought I would have too.

Death - The Great Unsolved Mystery

I read this wonderful passage in Michael Cunningham's book Specimen Days about death. It is how I like to think death is....

"She's had a long life. Now she's going back to the Lord"
"Frankly it creeps me out a little when you say things like that,"
Simon said.
"It shouldn't. If you don't like 'Lord', pick another word. She's going home. She's going back to the party. Whatever you like."
"I suppose you have some definite ideas about an aferlife."
"Sure. We get absorbed into the earthly and celestial mechanism."
"No heaven?"
"That's heaven."
"What about realms of glory? What about walking around in golden slippers?"
"We abandon consciousness as if we were waking from a bad dream. We throw it off like clothes that never fit us right. It's an ecstatic release we're physically unable to apprehend while we're in our bodies. Orgasm is our best hint, but it's crude and minor in comparison."