Today might have been the first day that we all got out on time. It was definitely the first day where leaving on time was terribly important. Most of the previous week we have been riding through rain with a sixty percent chance of more rain, but today we were given something more challenging. With near record breaking highs it became very clear that getting most of the ride out of the way before noon would be a good idea. The day started fast and stayed that way. We stopped to fill up our water and get a few moments of shade. The lunch break, for many, lasted long enough to get off the bike and stuff a bagel in our mouths. Sure enough when noon came it got hot, and sure enough the end of the ride was challenging to say the least, especially for the group that missed the last water stop.

This ride in many ways will parallel the rest of our lives, some moments will be fantastic, others difficult, and the worst will be unbearable. Whether we like it or not we are going to get a taste of all of them, so it’s best if we take each moment, and each ride for what it is. We will be grateful of the good rides, prepared for the difficult ones, and patient during the worst. In the end if we take these moments for what they are and not what they could or should be, then we might learn something about ourselves from each.