The long road back, and beyond

Today was a special day for me, one that I had been dreaming about for some six months since I fractured my ankle in a hiking accident. I’m an avid cycler, and I’ve enjoyed both mountain biking and road cycling at a high level for the last 10 years. I’ve taken several cycling trips around the country including Moab, Ut, Taos, New Mexico, Fruita, Colorado, Kingdom Trails, VT, and Acadia, Maine. Needless to say, cycling is a way of life for me. So you can imagine my state of mind when I was told in the emergency room I would need several screws and a plate to put my ankle back together.

Today I finally went out on the road bike for an easy 20 miles, and I was just so grateful to be out again. I’m no where near my previous fitness level, and it will be a long road ahead to regain my strength, but I’m doing what I enjoy, and that’s all that matters.
I’ve been asked what I learned from this experience, and my original feeling was that no matter how negative a situation, there is always a positive perspective one can take to overcome difficult circumstances. And while this is still true, and helped me tremendously, I’ve revised my original thinking. The most important lesson I learned is that life is fragile, and anything can happen at anytime without any warning or time to prepare. One must take advantage of every moment, and live life to the fullest without fear of the unknown. I’m more motivated than ever to follow my dreams and achieve my goals, and not worry about things out of my control.