That Looks Miserable
We've made it to the last week! A few days of riding before we start homeward and back to everyday life. On Friday morning we will have camped 31 of 38 days. So, on one hand, we're ready to be back to our beds, houses, and the unlimited availability of our showers. On the other hand, it is hard to believe how quickly this adventure has come to a close. Almost 6 weeks full of ups and downs have weathered and shaped us literally and figuratively. We started reminiscing at the half way point on just how far we had come, and then suddenly we are here, nearing the end, wondering where the last few weeks went.
It has been an incredible experience, stretching me far beyond what I thought I knew was capable of. I used to be the passenger in a car looking at the crazy cyclist huffing and puffing to the top of a mountain. I always said, "That looks miserable." Can confirm, kinda miserable at times, but now I understand what that mountain means to that cyclist. Only that rider knows the depth of satisfaction of reaching the top. Only the rider knows pushing through is completely and utterly worth the pain of the moment, because even if there is no scenic view to be had, the view they gained of their own capability just became infinitely clearer.
An undertaking this large feels like it should have a grand memento to stand and point to, something big and obtrusive that will make people stop and take notice. A reality I am coming to terms with is the mementos we have from this bucket-list experience are almost completely internal. Mementos ranging from areas of growth and confidence, the result of stretching ourselves through physical and mental barriers, to hard lessons about the limits we had set for ourselves and who we really are when we are at our worst.
About a year ago we started discussing the possibility of this journey, theorized what the hardest parts might be, and daydreamed a gorgeous sunny coast stretching for miles beyond our imaginations. Here we are, almost 12 months later, ready to complete the dream with a myriad of lessons to take with us into the next stage of life's adventure. Some of those lessons are about weather and how you cannot trust a coastal landscape to be either sunny or warm. But most of those lessons are about what can be achieved when you are willing to sincerely commit to trying. Committing can be miserable, it means putting in the work when you have a cozy bed, or a crazy work schedule, or you over-promised your participation in too many worth-while pursuits. The confidence I now carry is thanks to my willingness to commit to something I really had no business attempting. But, honestly, who does? Who gets a say in what we are allowed to achieve?
As always, it is my goal to write something to excite you for what lies ahead in your own life. Whatever it is spurring you on into the days ahead, I hope my words lend you some confidence to attempt what you are longing to achieve. It is my desire that you don't stop here at living vicariously through my pictures and words. Once Friday comes and this trip ends, this will simply be a chronicle of our memories living on the pages of an occasionally remembered blog. But, we will have all the lessons to push us up as we go on to climb the next "miserable" hill.
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