Three thousand miles, nine states, and seven weeks. This is not a trip. This is not a vacation. This is a journey, a moment that has been stretched over 55 days, a moment full of wisdom and frustrations, joys and irritation. Every day has been humbling and every conversation has left lasting impressions.
Today we rode into Yorktown, VA. After waking up at camp just 30 miles away from our ending location, we all took in the sweet taste of accomplishment, never forgetting for a second that it was not by our strength that we got here. Cameron’s dad was nice enough to drive support today so I was able to bike the whole day with the guys. I can not imagine a better way to end the trip. We all rode, enjoying every moment together, sharing stories and songs that have been replayed during the trip hundreds of times.
I won’t ever forget the sight of riding down the last hill, seeing our families and friends waving signs and sending cries of slurred congratulations. We made it. Our feet hit the sand and we took for the ocean, embracing every moment of hardship, cherishing every second of enjoyment, feeling it all come rushing over us as we dove into the water. At that moment no one else around existed. It was just us, seven men that pedaled into the unknown and made it to the other side.
We are not created for mediocrity. Our lives were meant to be used for great things. If this trip has taught me anything it is this:
Selfishness is a waste. We are not our own, and our gifts were blessings meant to bless other people’s lives. Time is a character that likes to play games. Sometimes we get sucked in to believing that we have all the time in the world to make a difference, but the truth is, every moment should be dedicated to bettering your surroundings. Humility is not a gift, it is learned. Service is to act against human nature, but the more we crush human nature, the more freedom we have to make a difference.
There are people I met on this journey that I will never forget. Although I could never describe the views I saw, or the people we talked to, or the deepest lessons I learned, I can live a life that expresses all of these.
I am not comfortable with being comfortable. I am not ok with settling. Mediocrity is excellence’s worst enemy, and I refuse to be enticed. Accomplishment is nothing if it is followed by nothing. “Our reach must exceed our grasp.”
Thank you to all who have kept up with us on this ride, to everyone who supported us, and to everyone affected by Alzheimer’s who have not given up. Your determination has been a light on the top of every mountain we climbed. We could never have done this without you. And God is the ultimate power that has bound us all, bringing us together to accomplish great things. This is the key to life: relationship.
The race is never finished.
Press On,
Jordan Minton
