For the whole month of May, my mom and I (and countless others) have been logging the number of miles we've ridden on our bikes, in recognition of May is Bike Month. Before the month began, Mom issued me a challenge to see which of us could ride the most miles in May. Now, with only four days left, I checked our totals and saw that I had ridden 250 miles, and Mom has ridden 300. That 50-mile difference would be really difficult to make up, especially in the short amount of time I have left, so I almost resigned myself to the fact that Mom won our little biking challenge. Almost.
But then I saw a few Facebook posts with messages of hope, sharing encouragement, and urging me not to give up, and the next General Conference talk which I was about to blog about is titled "Latter-Day Saints Keep on Trying." It's possible that someone is trying to tell me something.
So today, I'm going to go on a bike ride. I've done a bunch of chores, I've packed a lunch, and I'll put lots of sunscreen on my hands, face, and neck. I'm bringing and extra water bottle, my tube repair kit, plenty of trail mix, my cell phone, and a map of the area I'll be biking in. The exercise will be good for me, and if I hurry, I'll have plenty of time to do some more chores and take a shower (in whichever order) when I get back.
Of course, it may be hopeless. It may be that Mom's lead, plus however many miles she'll bike over the next few days, will be more distance than I can make up in that amount of time. But still, it's worth a try. And if I still lose, Mom will know that she beat someone who was still trying to beat her, right up to the finish line, and I'll know that I had given it everything I've got. I know I've got a lot of ground to cover, and I don't have a lot of time left, but that's no reason to give up trying. Even if it was completely hopeless, I don't want to develop a habit of quitting. While the results of this contest are trivial, there are some things that are too important to give up on, ever. I want to develop a habit of perseverance. So, with 50 miles to make up and only 4 days to ride them on, I'm still not quitting. I'm going to keep trying to win.
2 comments:
You are serious competition!
I like your can-do attitude. but I want to win.
and
Not fair! You are going off recreational - challenge riding while I am locked in a cubicle slaving away to earn our keep. To keep a roof over your head and provide food for that lunch you packed. You should be working and especially working on getting a job. Preferably one you can bicycle commute to as I do.
This is going to be a race to the finish! Bring it on!
About 30 miles each way! Impressive!
Now I challenge you to make it to 350 miles by the end of the month, while still taking care of your responsibilities, of course. I am going to try to.
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