day 1
[this entry dated to when it was written, not when
it was posted]
I'm in my Motel 6 room after putting 180 miles on
the bike. I feel alone and... proactive; it's a strange combination. My
back was quite uncomfortable after the first 130 miles or so and that got
me thinking about how I approach hardship and difficult circumstances. I
thought of 4 distinct attitudes I could hold. Dealing with hard situation
moment by moment while maintaining a sense of hope, going moment without
hope, looking down the road (no pun intended) with hope, and doing the
same but without hope.
Let me describe this last scenario and the first one,
and with luck I can tease out the effects of these two factors: how one
views the situation and the hope one has for the situation.
I tend to look down the road (meaning I try to envision
all the challenges of a situation at once) and I concurrently often
forget that there's hope for change not only in the after-life, but in my
temporal life. Where does this leave me? It leaves me in a "resonant
frequency" that's dangerously close to despair. If I Look at all of the
challenges required to overcome a situation it saps my strength and
endurance and thereby weakens my hope in the effects of my own efforts
and God's sustenance. This, in turn, makes the difficulties seem even
more insurmountable. In the case of a sore back this would be me
saying, "I have more of this pain on the way tonight and tomorrow and the
next day... How am I going to get by with this?" This attitude doesn't
take into account breaks, rests, the overnight rests, and tries to swallow
the challenge in one gulp.
On the other hand, to hold the first attitude would be
to realize that I'm still surviving in the moment and that the discomfort
is bearable and to be encouraged by the rest that I know awaits me when I
stop.
The effects as I see them are this: looking at
difficulties as momentary troubles makes them seem less difficult, while
focusing on hope builds motivation to persevere.
Think about this (I won't address it): what does the
first attitude look like when you don't know how or when your "rests" will
come, the difficulty in question has no specific end that you know of?
Indeed, what do you put your hope in when something makes life
hard to appreciate?
Other notes from the first day: there are many beautiful
spots in Michigan; some are large and well-documented, and some are only
30 feet long and whizz by on the side of the road. Examples: a collapsed
and weathered farm shed, a tiny cemetary in a clearing full of moss and
vines, a pond surrounded by verdant freshness juxtaposed by dead trees
breaking the surface like skeletal claws.
Other-other notes: the wet shirt that I've been wearing
under my motorcyling jacket works wonderfully. My qwik-wik skullcap,
however, amkes my helmet feel so tight that it gives me a headache.
Other than mountains, trees and forests and rivers make for excellent
driving scenery. There is a lot of land used for farming; more than most
people who grew up away from farmland are probably aware. There's plenty
of "Americana" alive and kicking.
It's been a good ride so far. Oh yeah, and I've learned
to truly appreciate detailed maps.
odometer (guestbook)
cloud watching