Part II: The Hidden Benefits
The Christmas Gift that keeps on Giving. This is Part Two of ‘unexpected gifts with hidden benefits’ (that don’t stay hidden for long.)
When we last gathered, I told you about the Mountain Bike gift from Aaron’s Furnishings, all for a “Networking 101” talk I gave to some of their corporate people.
So we’ve been gifted, outfitted, and take the Chihuahua Mickey biking (another gift, another story. Remind me to tell you about the horse gift too. I have been blessed!)
Mickey and I are starting to hold court on the bike path, and I’m feeling fitter. Things in the closet are starting to fit better.
But no matter how hard I pedal, keeping up with guys half my age and twice my speed isn’t working. It didn’t occur to me that their wives don’t even try and keep up with them, but hey, I’m no threat in any capacity to them.
I mention this to my husband (the ‘not keeping up,’ not the ‘not being a threat’ part. Why state the obvious. They ARE half my age and twice my speed.)
For Christmas that year (now nearly two years ago) there was a shiny new white road bike under the tree! We live in a tiny house, with a tiny tree, and the bike took up half the living room, but there it sat, my husband so proud to give me this gift.
He’s no fool; I kept coming back fitter, not fatter from chasing my younger friends. NOW I can at least keep them in sight!
It’s February by now, we are layering up, biking outside and attending SPIN class with our own bikes inside the bike shop several nights a week. I really like this, I can keep up with them, and they can’t leave me behind in trainers!
Then the owner, John Carter (www.trailsendcycling.com) says, “and we’ll all bike the MS150 in May.” Of course I didn’t think he meant me. I’m the ‘newest, oldest, slowest rookie’ he has. But he with some sense of humor, or liking a challenge (‘I can train anybody, look at her!’), says, “Oh you’ll be ready. You can come with us.”
There is a certain benefit to being ‘too dumb to doubt.’ There is also a certain benefit to ‘putting stubborn to good use.’
I did indeed bike my first century with my new best biker friends and finish. One hundred and five miles on the first day, forty five miles on the second day, and I’m still speaking to them!
I’m not fast, but I can literally pedal all day long. I’ve done two more centuries since then. I have no sense. But I look great! I recommend accepting gifts and making good use of them. Things happen for a reason. I am reminded of the secret to life: keep moving. Physically, mentally, spiritually. That’s the moral to that story!
The Hidden Benefits of Accepting a Speaking Engagement
About two years ago, I was asked to speak to a national group, Aaron’s Furnishings about the benefits of networking. They seemed very receptive, and asked for my mailing address to send a thank you.
A box arrived, bigger than me! It was a touring bicycle, whose gears (among other things) I had to ask our local bike store (literally at the end of our National Park and bike path, the W&OD) “Trail’s End Cycling Company” to show me how to use! I had last biked over forty years ago, and never had that many gears!
They assembled it, I said thank you and biked it home. In those ten miles I discovered a new lease on life.
I put a wicker basket on the front, and started taking Mickey the Chihuahua with me. Now he’s hooked too. I must tell you that Mickey was also a gift, based on a miscommunication with my hairdresser. But that’s another story, another time.
I cannot reach for anything perceived as bike equipment, sneakers, water bottle, the basement door handle, without him leaping to my side (well, my ankle) and expecting to go. (He is a fair weather biker-dog, this may be a challenge in the winter)
I looked up Aaron’s online, they are indeed the furnishings company based in Atlanta, and so is their 120-member cycling team! Hence their name on the bike I received.
Shameless, I sent them a photo of Mickey and me biking and said, “I know the basket may ruin the look of the bike, but the dog loves it, and if I could buy a lady’s size large jersey, and a Chihuahua’s size small, that would be great!”
They wrote back and said, ‘When is your race?’ And me, being me, couldn’t leave alone, and joined Potomac Peddlers and found a beginner’s version (25 miles) of an upcoming Century ride and sent Aaron’s the link.
They sent us the jerseys! Now I couldn’t take Mickey on that organized ride because he didn’t have a helmet. But me, being me, on the urging of another Potomac Peddler member, ordered a Chihuahua sized small helmet from www.hunterk9.com and now Mickey has been invited and joined us on several rides, and has been entered in the Century ride next year as a ‘guest dog’.
The best things in life are sometimes not only unexpected, but free! In this case, as another commercial suggests, priceless.
It gave an aging athlete a second chance at regaining some fitness strength, while maintaining one of the most important ingredients to life, a sense of humor!
This is part one in the series, because soon I discovered that all my new biking friends are half my age and twice my speed. Part two will address the Christmas Gift that keeps on giving! Enjoy the fall until then!
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