We made it over the Appalachian mountains to Knoxville, Tennessee for our first rest day! The physical activity of this bike trip has been refreshing time to move around outside all day, feel the concrete productivity, see frequent small successes, and allow my mind to rest. More so than physical healthy living habits, this trip is continually teaching me about my mental healthy living attitude.
Eight days into our trip, we set off toward Hickory, North Carolina without a campground or friend-to-stay-with yet planned. We had some potential leads through the Warm Showers website (network for bike travelers) and campgrounds on the map, yet when we called them, none came through. We did not give enough notice for Warm Showers, and the campgrounds were trailers only, so we decided to bike forward to see what we could find. We planned to look for someone in Hickory who could allow us to set up tents near their property, and our first stop was the fire station. After double checking with the supervisor, they welcomed us inside! The on-call firefighters present invited us to sleep in their meeting room, to join them for their chili dinner, and they gave us milkshakes plus Hickory Fire t-shirts. I have been discovering how I can allow myself to live with a deeper sense of trust. Rather than making a plan and executing the plan, I have seen high points enabled thanks to an open and hopeful attitude. The firefighters' response went above and beyond what we could have prepared by ourselves ahead of time. This trip is not only promoting healthy physical habits for ourselves and the communities we pass through, yet I have been discovering a healthier mindset through a greater sense of optimism.
I have known that a hopeful mind can make troubles feel more achievable, particularly through my experiences with collegiate rowing training, political canvassing, leading hike trips, and organizing nonprofit partnerships. This trip has been re-teaching me the beauty, enjoyment, and satisfaction that can come when real troubles are steadily and successfully conquered. I feel a sense of joy when reaching the top of a long hill. Also, when I have the deep trust that my pedaling will take me to the top, I can find joy in the steady uphill pedaling. I had tried to apply this sense of joy from difficult processes to nonprofit work in the city, and this trip is reminding me how I need small victories and celebrations along the way to keep the struggle exciting. The fun downhill helps make the uphill worth it, yet the simple success of reaching the top also gives me a sense of purpose and trust in the struggle. I cannot pedal uphill forever, and coasting downhill forever would get boring. I believe I thrive best in an environment with spurts of intense struggle, celebrations of success, and ever changing projects to tackle alongside others. I am quite grateful to have several weeks left of this trip, filled with the ever changing landscape, always new places to sleep, and the exciting unknown around the next bend. Let's see where it takes us next!