It is good to be home

Good morning,
I pray the day is finding you well.

I am home from the trip; actually, I got home Saturday afternoon.

When I got to the house I looked at my odometer and found that I had traveled right at 4,600 miles, truth be told I rode 4,595 miles, I actually thought about riding 2.5 miles past the house and back again just to make it 4,600 but my butt was sore and I was ready to get off the bike.

We saw many amazing things and covered a lot of miles, we had a great time.

Of course, there are things to be done post trip along with some honey-do’s that always seem to accumulate while I am gone.

I unpacked my bike.

I set up my tent, cleaned the tent, swept the tent out, repacked the tent, and put it away ready for next year.

I gave my bike a much needed washing. It still had Arizona clay on it.

Actually, I took it to power wash and power washed it. I like taking my bike to a place that recycles the water, instead of washing it in my front yard, this way the soapy water is caught and reused instead of soaking into the ground along with all the other things that just shouldn’t soak into the ground.

I think about things like this.

After I was done with the post trip duties, I started on the honey-dos.

I changed the oil in three cars and washed two of them. Actually, I found a place that was doing oil changes for $15.00 dollars and took the cars there to have the oil changed; they even threw in a carwash. Once again, I validated this by; I cannot change my oil for $15.00; I do not have to collect the used oil and try not to spill it on the ground; I used a car wash that recycles their water.

I am an avid reader.

If I am sitting somewhere I will occupy my time by reading; there is nothing worse than sitting somewhere with nothing to read.

In dire instances I will read anything that is on the walls, t-shirts…you name it even hairspray bottles, it is amazing what is in hairspray.

Laurie and I are sitting there in the oil changing place, and Laurie brought a couple of Good Housekeeping magazines. Someone had given her these magazines, the one I was reading was from May 2012. I am skimming through the magazine; women’s magazines baffle me, there is no rhyme or reason to them.

I run across and article called, “She inspires me; Unforgettable stories about mothers and daughters who found beauty and strength in each other.” I start reading about these two daughters who were the winner and runner-up on The Biggest loser, 2011. Sometime during the show, the girls came home for a visit. This is what Betsy, the girls mom said, “Hannah sat my husband and me down for a candid discussion about what could happen to us if we didn’t lose weight.” She went on to say, “My size was weighing me down, too. I was achy and lethargic, and I wanted that same feeling of freedom. I joined the YMCA.”

Here I am, sitting in an oil changing place reading a women’s magazine and out pops the YMCA and how this YMCA positively impacted a life.

After she returned home after the show Hannah said, “My mom didn’t have anyone to push her, yet she lost weight.” What we know but Hannah did not is that the YMCA is like family. We encourage, empower, and sometimes push people to keep going. We will motive, give inspiration, and walk right alongside people as they work toward their goals.

We care.

I finished the article feeling good about the YMCA.

I started flipping pages again.

After too many advertisements and mail in coupons I ran across another article, “My faith pulled me through.” It is an inspirational story about a family and tragedy; there is a quote in the article, “I think God runs the show, completely. Life proves it every day He runs the show.”

I could not agree more.

After all, He is God and I am not.

Blessings,