When life starts to get stressful, when things begin to get in a rut and when your schedule is packed full of tough and seemingly endless obstacles, there is only one thing left to do - totally exhaust yourself!
What?! Isn’t this the time we should take a little vacation or a break from all these stressful things?.. Well, yeah, we should, but not in such a way that we grow soft or get out of our groove. But, in a way that makes us appreciate life and puts our spirits to the test.
There are many ways to go about such a test. However, the one that has always worked the best for me is biking long distances. As I peddle along and my mind says, “Turn back, this is too far” and my body screams, “You can’t go any further! And, Kip, you will just have to turn around and go the same distance back! Give up!” I know that I am taking the true test of my spirit.
One particular place I love to bike is small river town about 40 miles away from my home, Des Arc, Arkansas. A beautiful little town with a magnificent old bridge and a dairy bar (The Snow White Dairy Bar) that makes the best double cheese burgers in the World. Each time I near that bridge, an energy comes to me, a smile comes to my face and my stomach rumbles, reminding me of those cheeseburgers that are only a few blocks away. I have reached my destination and that gives me a pride, knowing I did not give up.
A few days ago, a good friend of mine, Robert, arrived home from the Army. He and I are kind of like older versions of Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer; we love adventures. We’ve been hiking, mountain climbing, ghost hunting and this would be our fifth biking trip to Des Arc together. We left early on a Thursday morning after a nutritious breakfast of eggo waffles and bacon. Lol. The wind was low and the sun was shining; always a good sign for a biking trip.
The path we travel is a series of old country highways. Very rarely do we meet a vehicle on those old roads and when we do it is usually a farmer tending to his fields or a semi traveling to the natural gas pipelines nearby. The road is ours and all the wildlife we meet along the way, such as snapping turtles (which we usually help across the road so they don’t get run over), deer and (ugh) snakes (they get no help from me). You can see every inch of the countryside on a bike, a marvelous thing.
As we travel along, we talk of upcoming adventures. Maybe next we’ll explore some of the mountains in the Ozarks and try to find one of the lost Spanish mines or possibly dig up a buried pot of gold while metal detecting. Who knows what will be next, but I know it will be fun.
Robert tells me of one of his most grueling times in the Army. He and his platoon walked for miles and miles, carrying heavy equipment through the cold. He said it was the most tiresome and miserable experience in his life. He told me the only thing that kept him going was that his sergeant promised them all pizza if they could make it back… It then occurred to me that our motivation for this trip was the double cheeseburgers at the dairy bar. Lol. I guess a man will do just about anything for some good food.
Sometimes we talk just to take our mind off the pain and exhaustion of the trip. Kind of a mind trick I guess. We also find ourselves breaking everything down by landmarks. “That ranger station is right up this way,” I may say. “If we can make it there, we only have 6 more miles to the junction. Then we’ll only have ten short miles from there.”
After about four hours, we finally see the bridge up ahead. We are there! A quick ride to the top and then a fast glide down. An immediate left and then another and there it is, the dairy bar… We enjoy our rewards… But, there soon comes another part. We must prepare our minds for the trip home. Another four to five hours. This is where the true test starts because almost always, fatigue will set in. The further you travel the further it seems before you reach home. Conversation and a positive attitude play a key role here. You never speak of anything negative; only hope and of the positive.
On the way back home, we run into an old friend, Willie. He has made the trip with us once before and commented on how strenuous is was and the terrible headache he received on the way home. He asked me how I felt and I told him it was no sweat and I could turn around and do it again, although, I had about five miles till I reached home and was getting a bit fatigued. I had to keep a strong mind though.
Soon, Robert and I reached the point where we split up and take our separate paths to our homes. “See ya,” we say to each other. “We’ll do it again soon. And let’s take Willie with us next time and maybe a few others if they want to go.” I look ahead and focus on what looks like the longest road in the world. My legs move faster, anxious to get home as quickly as possible, but they burn and ache. My mind is so exhausted that I am beginning to forget what simple things are called, such as microwaves and refrigerators. I laugh at myself as I try to recall the name for them. When I finally see my house in sight, I say, “Thank you God for your protection and going with me on this whole trip.” I step off my bike and laugh again because my legs don’t seem to want to work, but I eventually hobble up the steps and go inside. I hit that thing I couldn’t remember the name of (refrigerator), downed two PowerAde and just lay down on the floor. I am totally exhausted and drained but I feel so very good. In fact, I feel better than I have in a long, long time. The stress of the trip had made me stronger.
It doesn’t have to be a bike ride, a hike or mountain climb to test your limits. Everyone has their own way and their own thing, but it makes all the difference in the world to put yourself to the test every now and then. What is it you like to do? I’d love to hear your comments. What makes you stronger? What have you proved to yourself?
All for now friends. Show yourself what you’ve got,
Kip
"Never, never, never give up!"~ Winston Churchill
