Conditioning

We ride as often as possible to prepare our bodies for the trip.

Someone's thoughts on "why?"

"To laugh is to risk appearing the fool. To weep is to risk appearing sentimental. To reach out for another is to risk involvement. To expose feeling is to risk exposing your true self. To place your ideas, your dreams before the crowd is to risk their loss. To love is to risk not being loved in return. To live is to risk dying. To hope is to risk despair. To try is to risk failure. But risks must be taken, because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing. The person who risks nothing, has nothing and is nothing. He may avoid suffering and sorrow, but he simply cannot learn, feel, change, grow, love--live. Chained by his certitudes, he is a slave, he has forfeited freedom. Only a person who risks is free."
-unknown

journal entry 1

There is a trip coming up... It is a trip that must happen. We are going to ride our bicycles from California to Washington. Phillip, Jonah, Michelle, Juan, and I...

I have a nagging desire to get away and live life through adventuring. I actually feel a sense of urgency to see this through. I fear that if I don't venture out into the unknown, I will become complacent; and fear of going beyond my comforts will win me over. I cannot let that happen.

If I become complacent, my view on life will never change. My mind will cease to be renewed, and my heart will cease to be transformed. If I am to grow, and if I am to ever feel alive, I must try new things...

I must ride my bicycle 1,000 miles. I must begin a day, not knowing where I will end up, or where I will lay my head. I must stretch my body, get out of breath, and be truely grateful for the taste of food. I must meet new people and listen to different voices. I must be the lowly one that seeks hospitality. I must sit in front of a view in silence and be overwhelmed with God's glory. I must wait for words to come, and take to heart the words I hear. And in all of these experiences, I must learn, grow, and share.