When the goose takes to the air,
it does not know where it will land.
-- 18 May, 1997
My story begins at an unlikely place -- the patio of a Dairy Queen outside of Windsor, Colorado... I left my apartment in Fort Collins early that morning, with intentions of riding a hundred miles -- the prestigious "Century" in bicycling terms. The roads were flat, the winds were light, and I had hardly any gear with me. I'd ridden over 60 miles the weekend before in much less favorable conditions, so I thought I could do it; I thought it would be a physical challenge and good preparation for the trip to come.
But the challenge was not to be physical. On my way through Windsor early that morning, after less than 10 miles of riding, I had a broken spoke. My challenge was patience as I found a bike shop, asked the owner to re-lace my wheel (as this was not my first broken spoke), and then waited to resume my ride. Two hours later, I was on the road again -- not with a re-laced wheel as I had hoped, but with simply five new spokes (two more of which would break during the 4500 miles of my trip to come). Forty miles later, in Greeley, my excitement continued with a flat tire. Hoping for an air compressor, I walked the bike nearly a mile to a gas station. Just as I finished replacing the tube and tire, the gas station closed and shut off their air compressor... A half mile on foot later I found another shop that was still open, and begged the use of their air compressor. My second challenge was not being prepared, and instead, being creative.
So, now, back in Windsor with 82 miles under my belt, I am nearly home. I won't make a hundred miles today as I intended, but I will make 89 -- my longest day ever by nearly 30 miles! It has been an exciting day; I have had my challenges and have survived them well.
But I have not yet had my lesson...
I sit down at the patio of the Dairy Queen with my Butterfinger Blizzard. This is my reward for the exertion of the day. I am not sitting two minutes when this gangly little boy with long unkempt hair in a trendy baseball hat sits at the table next to mine. I think to myself, "I wonder if I will be so lonely on the trip to come that I will learn to talk to people like that." Deep down inside I cannot help but believe that would be good for me -- I spend too many of my days now talking to people who are just like me, and occasionally I have to believe I am missing something... I decide then and there that one of my goals on the trip will be to talk to people I wouldn't otherwise talk to. I vow to write it down when I get back home. But I admit to myself that I am not yet ready for it today...
Just then, the gangly little boy turns and says, "Hi!", and I realize she is not a gangly little boy at all, but an attractive young girl with a beautifully bright smile hiding under a slightly too large hat. She says, "I hope it's OK!" I look just a bit puzzled and she explains that she made my Blizzard -- it was one of her first, as she just started working here today! I realize then that the trendy baseball cap isn't one at all, but rather, part of her DQ uniform. I assure her that the Blizzard is wonderful -- I am not lying.
We make small-talk for a minute or two and then she pops the question... "So, are you married?" I respond somewhat matter-of-factly, "No.", but I am thinking that she is a bit quick to have a crush on me already... Honestly, she can't be more than 14 years old... She's a bit embarrassed and then adds, "Otherwise, I was just wondering why your wife hadn't gone with you today..." She has recovered somewhat gracefully, so I figure that particular conversation is over... We continue with the small-talk for a few more minutes and she brings it up again, "Do you have a girlfriend?" Again, I respond, "No." This time there is a slight pause in the conversation... I wonder where it will lead...
And then the truth comes out... "My Mom is single and she doesn't have a boyfriend. She likes to ride her bicycle. Would you like to meet her?" I am blown away! It seems I can't predict a single thing that is happening to me today! Unfortunately, I explain to the girl, I am leaving that very week for a three or maybe even five month trip on my bike, and I do not even know if I will return when I am done... Basically, I say no. The truth is that, just like the goal I have decided on earlier, I am not yet ready for it today...
And so I start out the summer with what will become both a wonderful lesson and a wonderful memory. And the seed for a new attitude for the months to come.