It’s still pretty early in the week but I must say, my legs are holding up pretty well so far. Also, I’ve had an overwhelming amount of motivation to keep the wheels moving forward. Today that motivation materialized itself into a bit of bonus miles as I rolled some extra credit and came in at 120 miles for the day with a ride time of 6hrs 58min.
Most often, my rides have some sort of training objective (i.e. active recovery, intervals, hills, tempo, base miles, race tune-ups, etc.) However, this week is not about training to me…in fact, it’s not even so much about the ride at all, but rather something more.
Last week I taught in a classroom composed of severely multiply impaired students. All of the students were in wheelchairs and non-ambulatory. Many of them had to eat through feeding tubes in their stomach, and they were almost all not able to communicate verbally. Their ages ranged from 6 to 10 years old. It’s easy for us to feel bad for this population. We tend to compare our own life experiences to what they will never be able to experience. However, I noticed that many of these students still experienced happiness and joy; it was simply in a different form than what we are accustomed to. I observed one student who would laugh and smile simply by hearing certain music he liked or feeling something tactile that he enjoyed.
Although these students may never be able to function without assistance, their role in their caretaker’s lives is still very symbiotic.
As I rode today, I reflected on my often taken for granted, simple ability to ride a bicycle. At one point I found myself lost in my thoughts, looking down at my legs pumping rhythmically and harmoniously with my machine, and I began to think about those students I worked with last week. A wave of gratitude came over me and I became so thankful for the gift of personal health and ability.
I must admit that although the main objective of this journey is to raise money for Make-A-Wish, my initial motives could still be considered a bit self-serving. I thought it would be a healthy cathartic way to grieve over lost loved ones and an excuse to ride 700 miles in one week.
Last night after my ride, Angela and I attended the Team Alex Pre-WAM party. After listening to some of the veteran riders testimonials of meeting the Wish Kids on the last day of the tour I began to realize that it is going to be a difficult task to finish the week with a dry eye. Although, my efforts are focused towards helping these children’s wishes come true, I have a feeling they will be giving back just as much to me through their inspiration.
It’s not so much about the miles or the ride but just simply giving thanks.
