What Bicycling Taught Me About Life.

Good evening friends. As many of you know over the previous two days I participated in a 150 mile bicycle ride benefitting the MS Society. My brother and a handful of friends rode along with me. We rode 75 miles each day. This bike ride was the single most physically gruelling thing I've ever done in life. There were parts of each days ride when I wanted to quit and simply give up. There were support vans driving all along the route and any one of them would have gladly given me a ride to the end of the course. The ride was so physically taxing that I shed tears at the finish line each day. Yesterday at the end of the 150 miles, when I pedaled into the fair grounds in Lucas County I was overwhelmed with a wave of emotions and for a few moments simply sobbed uncontrollably. This weekend taught me and reminded me of some things about living life. It's not possible to participate in an event like this and be the same person afterwards.

These are the life lessons I learned from bicycling.

1. Never quit. There were times along the route when I was literally so tired I was concerned that I might not be able to keep my bicycle upright any longer. There were times when all I could focus on was simply staring straight ahead and forcing myself to pedal on a little farther. There were moments when I would literally argue with myself about whether I was going to quit or not. There weren't mile markers along the route but I knew each rest stop was 10 -12 miles apart. It seemed when things got toughest right over the next hill or around the next curve would be a rest stop.

  Life is much the same way. I wonder how many times I've quit or given up when relief was only a short distance away? Human beings are designed to naturally dislike physical and emotional discomfort. How many times have we stopped because life got a little too hard when in all reality we could have pressed on just a little bit farther? I learned this past weekend that there is a lot of reward to simply pushing on. Don't quit in life my friends. When things seem the hardest there's probably another rest stop just over the next hill.

2. Never, ever hesitate to offer encouragement to others. Along the 150 miles of bicycling I found a lot of encouragement in a lot of things. At one point near Gibsonburg High School there was a sing posted by the wrestling team that said "Pain don't hurt. Thank you MS riders." My body was feeling some pain but I couldn't help but smile after seeing this. Along the route the MS volunteers had painted smiley faces on the road. Every single one of them helped me to push on a little farther. Many times folks that lived along the route would wave to us from their porches. Cars along the way would honk and wave at us. All of the volunteers at the rest stops were friendly and encouraging. Many of the other riders would offer positive encouragement. Most importantly at nearly every rest stop I would check my cell phone and there would be texts and Facebook messages from dozens of my friends from all around the country. Words can not express how important those encouraging messages were in my journey. Over a hundred people from roughly 12 different states made an effort to let me know they were rooting for me to make it.

  The same lesson applies in life. Never hesitate to offer a word of encouragement to others. Never hesitate to let a friend know that you are thinking of them. You never know when taking that minute to communicate with someone might just be the spark that propels them to push on just a little bit farther.

3. Always take a moment to check on others. Along the route whenever a rider was stopped on the side of the road I would always make sure they were ok. Midway through Day one I had some issues with my back tire and it was comforting to have other riders stop to make sure we were ok. Later in day one of my friends became dizzy and we stopped to wait for a support vehicle and other riders stopped to make sure we didn't need anything. No matter where you are at in life always take a moment to make sure other people are ok too. It's just the right thing to do and if nothing else will make you feel better about yourself.

4. The hard parts always offer the most lessons. During the difficult times I tended to meditate and pray more. Through the tears and pain and discomfort I found that I could physically achieve more than I ever thought I could.

  The hard times in life always offer the most life lessons. My friends often remind me that when I'm struggling that I have a wonderful opportunity to learn and grow. I've found this to be true some many different times in life. I don't have problems I just have opportunities for growth.

The rewards from finishing the ride were all well worth the struggle my friends. I hope you all purchase bicycles and start riding because I definitely intend on being back next year. If I can do it I know that you can too. I'd love nothing more than to share the beautiful life changing experience I had this weekend with as many friends as possible year after year after year. Thank you all for being a beacon of light on my journey of life. I wouldn't be the man I am without you all.

Dan