I don’t even know where to start with this year. I don’t think I could make up half of it if I tried.
2017 and 2018 were the happiest two years of my life and then 2019 happened. In 2017 and 2018 I was in a relationship with the most beautiful woman of my dreams. Everything was going great at work; best 2 years at work. Best two years of my life. Than 2019 came and it seemed like everything in my life and world landed face first in a puddle of mud.
Things at work went sideways. The company implemented new procedures that wasted and cost me and everyone involved a ton of time and money. I was head-butting with dispatch at work. My relationship with my fiancé was on the rocks and we couldn’t seem to communicate properly. It felt like the first 6 months of this year was one of my worst years in forever.
When I woke up May 16 I thought I was still (possibly) engaged. By the time I went to bed that night I was no longer engaged and I had this whole entire bike ride planned in my head. And that is when my year started coming together. I say “coming together” simply because all I had left in my life was to plan this bike ride and make sure I was able to get it started by the end of the year.
At the time I discovered that my world had completely changed I was in Oregon. I had no bike, no gear and no website and I was working 80 hours a week. I ended up purchasing my bike on June 5th and from that point on everything started coming together. At the time I estimated that including spending Christmas in Prince Edward Island I could be ready to start my bike ride on December 31 in St John’s Newfoundland.
I worked very hard to make things happen and get the wheels rolling on my bike, my gear and website along with driving a truck back and forth to California. With next to no spare time I was able to get everything to come together and move my start date up to November 12. In the entire time the only plan that went sideways was the night ferry that I was going to take to Newfoundland was cancelled due to bad weather. This only meant taking the ferry the following morning instead. Not bad for this being my only bike ride snag in 5 months.
To add to my year I should mention that even after my engagement was broken off I was still trying to reconcile to the woman of my dreams. On my last truck run to California at my very last drop, less than one week before handing my keys to start this bike ride I get a text message informing that 4 months after she left me and for a month already my now ex-fiancé had married someone else.
So here I am on the eve of the new year and I have no way of interpreting this past year. I lose the woman of my dreams but start the adventure of a lifetime.
People love to tell me I dodged a bullet. And maybe I did. I just don’t know if I want that to be my 2019. And I get it; a lot of people did not dodge a bullet. A lot of people got hit by a bullet, or got cancer, or lost their home, or lost a child. I mean how lucky am I that I get to start the adventure of a life time? So I do get it – I am a pretty lucky and blessed person. Many a person could only dream of doing what I am doing.
As far as my bike ride goes. My bike ride has been going far better than I could have hoped for. I really thought biking across Canada at this time of year would be horrible and I would hate it and it was all about grinding the miles out. Biking at this time year was all about being strong enough. Turns out that I am having a great time and really enjoy being on the road at this time of year.
I continue to keep overcoming one challenge after another. I scaled my bike and gear at 185 lbs in Newfoundland. I was able to bike across Newfoundland in November. My furthest day was 98 kilometers. The coldest temperatures that I have spent the night in the tent was -14 Celsius.
I continue to meet amazing people that I never expected to. It turns out that biking at this time of year causes people to take notice and the generosity and help and warm beds that have come my way has been unbelievable. The bike ride so far has been awesome.
But you have to admit that it is pretty crazy – 2017 and 2018 the happiest 2 years of my life and then 2019 I lose the woman of my dreams but I start the adventure of a life time in less than 6 months. I have just started a journey that will surely change the course of my life. Which is exactly how I like to live.
New Year’s Resolutions
I don’t think I have ever made a New Year’s Resolution? But every day I resolve to be a better person and to be accountable. Every day I resolve to live with more courage and integrity. Every day I resolve weed out my hypocrisy. I know I fail every day but every new day gives me another chance.
