Part of the reason I signed up to do this ride was due to the enthusiasm of a fellow LIVESTRONG leader. He was driving his RV up, so I should come and hang out for the week, I could sleep in his RV vs a tent. That seemed great... till he had to cancel his plans to drive to Iowa two days ago.
He felt bad, and as muh as I understood, I was disappointed and also left hanging.
It wasn't a matter of if I would still go to RAGBRAI. I was committed:
- I was fundraising.
- I had paid a significant chunk of money to ride the charter (non redundable) to and from Iowa.
- I had LIVESTRONG jump through last minute hoops to get me on the team.
- I had the time off work.
- I had a committed dog sitter.
So I was in. Jut needed to change some logistics and my mental game.
This experience has fell into my lap and staying in the RV was a big reason why... at first, but now I'm excited to go kill my ass and legs on a bike for 6 days. No really. I am.
Now it's a goal.
Now it's a commitment.
One to myself and others.
And so I'm staying in my tent for 6 nights. I've never camped more than 2 nights in a row, so this will truly be an adventure.
The good news:
- I donated money to a fellow Livestrong teammates fundraising for her husband to set up and tear down my tent daily. That is huge! Love him!!
- I found my older smaller tent. Easier to carry and put up.
- Heather still has her tiny sleeping back and is letting me use it. Easier to pack.
So, it will all work out logistically, and the rest is up to me. Go and have fun with some amazing people. My charter leader said to me yesterday "if you aren't having fun on RAGBRAI, then you are taking yourself too seriously".
As I'm adjusting to this plot twist, I am once again reminded that life is unpredictable and just when you think you have things figured out, you don't. You have to write yourself into the story and pay attention to the doors that open vs the doors that close (my 2014 mantra).
Cheers to an air mattress, tent and bike for a week! (Yep. I'm still scared shitless about this journey, but facing that fear is good. eek!)
KK
