Neat Things

I enjoy doing neat things. This past winter my buddy said, "Let's go vegan for a month." I replied, "That sounds neat." -And that is honestly how many of my "What shall I do?" decisions are made. This was the decision making process I used when I determined to bike across Kentucky.

Recently, my small group met around a campfire at our leader Jeremy's house. Around the flames, we answered the question, "What would you like to do?" Although our answers were different, how we answered was not. We all talked of what we wanted to study, or what occupations we may want to pursue; which, considering the open-endedness of the question, is strange with the seemingly infinite ways to answer this question.  I do not remember what my answer was, but I do remember I was not satisfied with it. I get anxious when I think too far ahead. Thinking about how vast the universe is, what would I do if I were to encounter a shark while scuba diving, and how my actions now affect what I will do in the future are surefire topics that always send me spiraling. When it came time for Jason, my groups other leader, to answer the question, there had been several well articulated plans and one drawn-out declaration of uncertainty (mine). His answer greatly differed from ours. He wanted to end everyday feeling that what had done was important. 

This morning, we left the house a bit off schedule. I had forgotten quite a few things: to print off the route, to get my rain jacket out of the car, to ask my dad to pick up spare inter-tubes... all of which compounded to about an hour delay. While we stopped at Walmart to purchase inter-tubes, I joked that if God really loved me I wouldn't get a flat throughout the trip. I got my first flat around mile nine. Road construction also proved to be a hindrance. There was one stretch that was un-bikable were we had to hop into the Mazda until conditions bettered. Other than that (and the craw-pain associated with long bike rides) it truly was a great day. The weather was perfect, our route was simple, and we did not have to stand on our heads for longer than ten seconds.

         Before lunch, we stopped at AIM to say high to Becky. AIM is a pregnancy were caring people come alongside young women who find themselves pregnant. It was encouraging to see how much passion Becky had for her work, her workers, and who she worked for: a nice rejuvenation before our last stretch.

         The last miles to Eubank were surprisingly easy, taking into account that we had just eaten our fill at Sonny’s. Jeremy successfully beat me to what from afar looked like a county line, but ended up being a mile marker that was shaped slightly different than all. With this victory included, the county line record ended Jeremy: 4 wins, and me: 0. We pulled off 27 to end our day. Josh Anderson, a staff member of FCA in South Central KY, met up with us. He helped with the Appalachian Baseball Outreach this past spring, an event that taught kids in Eastern Kentucky how to play baseball as well as hear the gospel.

        

         Dinner was at the Depot with Robert and Kay Camenisch, Joe Winston, Lauren Patterson, Keldy (Jeremy’s wife), and my mother. The Camenisch’s are the founders of “Uprooting Anger” a guide to overcoming anger issues, used in prisons. Joe Winston and Lauren Patterson are both working on the Net, a neurological electronic device that provide rapid detox therapy for drug addicts. Jeremy and Keldy own Kifu coffee roasters, which sends a cow to Africa for every five thousands pounds of coffee sold. It was extremely entertaining to listen to these people talk about what they do. Not only did I find it interesting, but they did as well.

         At the end of day one, sixty miles away from the Tennessee border, I have the comfort of knowing what I want to do: neat things.