No matter how many times I’ve watched Monty Python’s movie “The Meaning of Life” admittedly there may be better hints about what life is really about, I am still unable to find or appreciate a reason for my own life and suspect that not having any family, a job or a sense of direction as to where I should be heading, probably really doesn’t help.
As a consequence I am contemplating the idea of tackling the future with the idea of “living for the moment”, commencing with:
- Doing a self - supported bike ride from Seville (Spain) to Saint Petersburg (Russia) this year;
- Selling my house;
- Potentially then doing the Tour de Afrique ride of Cairo (Egypt) to Capetown (Sth Africa) in 2018.
Now I know this all sounds a little bizarre, but what the heck you only live once, I’ve reached the midpoint in my life (if I haven’t exceeded it already) and have personally knocked on the Pearly Gates twice. Fortunately I have been refused admission both times but.... I'm not so sure I’ll be so lucky the third time round, so for now am avoiding the Salmon Mousse! 😊 😊 😊 😊
On top of that all, is also the fear that one day down the track, I could find myself beginning to suffer from the same muscle wasting disease (a bit akin to MS) that took my mother’s life, there being a belief within the medical community that it does have some heredity aspects...
As a result, rather than continue to live life aimlessly, I am going to concentrate on what brings me happiness and to an extent that involves just getting on my bike and riding. If nothing else, it means I can also:
- Pretend most of the world's problems don't exist (an advantage in not being bilingual or having reliable internet access;
- Remain fit & active, which is just so good / imperative for both my mental & physical health;
- Continue to explore the world and see / experience different cultures and scenery for whilst I have been lucky enough to visit many countries, there are still things I’d like to experience, learn about and see with my own eyes.
How / Why - Because that way I can close my eyes and pretend it's all not happening, and instead just worry about, what tomorrow's route distance & profile is, how many coffee or drink stops there'll be along the way and what I'm likely to see during the day & once I get to the day's end destination.
Whilst I know that I said that I wouldn't do any more guided cycling trips, following on from what happened when I was with Bike Dreams in South America a couple of years ago, but in terms of my 2018 goal, I'm not too sure that I want to negotiate some African countries between Cairo and Capetown, without knowing that there's at least some degree of support. I also understand that TdA are also a little more stringent with regard to the behaviour expected of its patrons, to one another, staff and the community in general...
Of course all of this is purely conjecture / wishful thinking at the moment, and I may see things in a new light during the course of the next couple of months or so, but for now...
