You know, it's entirely too cliché to use such life slogans as “I am entering a new phase in my life” or “I am beginning a new chapter”. Truth be told, I am nowhere near as creative or clever as I pretend. If you don’t find it in my incoherent writing, I’m sure I’ll talk more about fallacy further down the road. What I am attempting to say is that I have no other way to describe my new phase or chapter without being so cliché. Whatever!
In 90 days, I will be embarking on an adventure of epic life-altering proportions (one would hope)! Along with a buddy of mine, I am going to ride my bicycle over 7,000+ miles through 21 states and 110 cities. This ride is inspired by the suicides of our brothers and thus is dedicated to suicide awareness and the healing power of art. If you’re interested, go to www.risephoenix.org, because that is not what this blog is about. This is about the ramifications, if you want to call them that, about said bike ride.
I’d be lying to you if I told you I wasn’t on the verge of freaking the fuck out. The curiosity of the situation is that I am not entirely sure why. People ride or walk across the country all the time. In fact, I have already walked across the country. Kinda. It was from Phoenix to DC and I was the cameraman for a documentary about the walk. I did have a vehicle from time to time, but in 5 months I did a tremendous amount of walking. Seriously, there were days I thought we were actually going into Mordor to throw the ring into the fires of Mt. Doom. The point is…sorry, I’m struggling to find my point. If I have one…the point is: I have just recently awoken to the enormity of the task I am about to set out to do.
These emotions are a hodge-podge of emotional content. Nothing organized, more like a dysfunctional salad bar. You could say I could probably go for some serious repetition of meditation sessions. Is it the physicality of riding 7,000+ miles? Is it living on the road without knowing where food or shelter will be acquired? Is it living on the road for 7 months? Is it being away from my comfort zone? Circle of friends? Airing my dirty laundry to complete strangers? Is it expressing my opinions on my views of reality? YES!!! And…no.
Having had the experience of a slow-paced cross-country challenge, I have an idea of what to expect. It’s the detachment or separation anxiety I felt in the first 2 weeks of my cross-country walking expedition. I know what is out there waiting for me…ok, what could be waiting for me. I feel that I have been in a purgatory of some kind for the past month. Living between two worlds: the one I have known for 34 years and the world waiting for me on March 1st, 2012. Waiting for me?! I’m knee deep in prologue...
