I’ve been rolling something over in my mind the last few months and thought I’d get some comments from those of you that are reading this blog. Feel free to leave a comment on the following topic if you wish.
So, as I was thinking about my experiences on BRAN, the things that stand out the most were those situations where I got to know somebody new or spent time building a relationship. Riding and talking with Tom, sitting with the Bike Masters team and talking, riding and talking with Tim, talking with the fire department staff in Tryon, hanging out with Mark, Phil, and Kim, meeting locals and learning about their towns. These are the moments I remember and enjoyed the most.
Why is that? Why don’t I rank the achievement, the hard rides, and the good food as highly in my memory? Why don’t I remember as fondly the scenery, the interesting towns, or the wildlife that I saw on the ride?
As I think about my life in general, the most memorable moments and experiences are directly tied to relationships. Getting married to my lovely wife. Going on a vacation with my family. Traveling to a cross-country race with my fellow teammates and remembering the trip and the relationships more than the race itself. I can also remember times where I was depressed after attending an event that I had looked forward to and realized that the reason I was depressed was because I didn’t get a chance to share that event with the people I care about or not getting a chance to enjoy fellowship with others during that event.
So my questions are these: Are relationships what make us happy? Can a person be truly happy without relationships? Were we created or designed for relationships? This desire for relationships makes a lot of sense within a Christian worldview, but does it make sense in other worldviews?
Anyways, feel free to share your opinions on the topic by leaving a comment to this post.
3 comments:
I concour. Starting and finishing BRAN has to rank up there with very important events in my life. It was mentally and physically challenging. But my spirits were kept pretty high because of the people I rode with. Even when I found myself on the road, it was never for very long. Forget the "Fellowship of the Ring" we had the "Fellowship of the Ride". Complete with our own hobbit, Gary Schmidt. (You should have seen his little round tent.)
The BRAN ride is an odd fraternity. Old timers that do it over and over. They probably only see each other once or twice year, the ride being one of them. They don't complain about wind or rain. They just ride.
Its cliche, but life is all about how you treat people.
Hehe... I never thought of Gary as a Hobbit, but somehow it fits. I'm not sure I want to see his feet. I guess being thought of as a hobbit is better than being Shrek's traveling companion (and not the one wearing boots).
I read Gary's Bio on the Kaos website. Looks like they know that Gary has a good sense of humor.
Talking with others is fun. I don't know how many times I discussed the Rohloff and BOB (found out it stands for Beast Of Burden) trailer. The Bike Masters guys applauded on a couple days seeing me enter the camp. That was encouraging.
But I liked pedaling solo and observing the scenery, mooing at the cows, trying to neigh at the horses, embracing the wind, observing the towns and thinking about how they have changed through the years, talking with the locals, and eating local food.
I guess I liked talking more while not riding.
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