Personal energy level has been great of late, so much so,
that it was reasonable to reduce my calorie intake, specifically protein, so I eliminated
one ounce of turkey and one ounce of ground beef from my daily diet. Seemingly nothing significant and initially a
sound decision. Then Saturday arrived.
Running errands, suddenly everything sounded good to
eat. Driving past a pizza parlor, In-and-Out,
a donut shop, a build your own salad place, ok I’m kidding about the salad
place, but EVERYTHING else sounded delicious plus my energy was dropping as the
day grew longer. It was clear the eliminated
protein had to make a return which it did for dinner that evening but the
damage was done.
Sunday morning arrived but my energy did not. The usual breakfast did not help. Nothing was helping and I had a return trip
to Redwood Road on the calendar, 48 miles, 3000 feet of climbing, and 3900
calories of energy I didn’t have to give.
I would have canceled but already committed to ride with a friend (not
my usual riding buddy, although he would have gone with me had I asked, he’s
that kind of friend) at 11 am after church and dreading it.
In the garage preparing for the ride and focusing on my
low energy I recalled something our pastor said earlier that morning. Talking about how we are gifted with unique
talents he said, “As Christians we don’t have to serve others, we get to serve
others.” It’s about attitude and
thinking of the pending ride in that context I came to this conclusion: I don’t
have to ride, I get to ride. My gosh, I
have a nice road bike, I’m healthy, the weather was beautiful (again), a friend
is willing to ride with me, and most importantly I have a wife that supports my
training and trip to Burundi.
I get to ride in support of a great school in Burundi
that will educate generations of young men and women. I felt a sense of hope
that I could tackle the ride. Well off
we went and I’m happy to report, a) I made it home, b) we did not stop at a donut
shop along the way, and c) I increased my average speed by 0.5 miles per hour
from the same ride two weeks ago. What a
gift! The speed increase tells me I’m in
better shape than two weeks ago and is such an encouragement. Had I canceled I wouldn’t have seen the
increased speed and I would have been mad at myself for “quitting” the Redwood ride. Talk about two outcomes that could not be
more different.
So carrying on that theme, if you’re contemplating
supporting the school, think of it as, “I get to support the school, not I have
to support the school.” Please give because that little voice inside
you is prompting you to do so not because you will feel guilty the next time
you see Burundi Dave. Only cheerful
givers please.
Switching gears for a moment I want to make this promise
to you. As noted above, I am a
Christian, most of you know that but some don’t. Now you all do. I promise never to preach at you about the
Christian faith. I’ve never known anyone
who thinks Christianity is something worth exploring while being beaten over
the head with a bible. I just won’t do
it and I respect people’s point of view that is different than mine. That said, my faith in Christ is the
cornerstone on which I build my life and there will be times, like today, when
my faith will weave its way into a post.
If you ever feel like I go off the preachy deep end let me know. One person’s non-preachy post may be
another’s crazy rant so it would be good to hear your perspective.
Thanks for checking out my blog!!
