I’ve been waiting for Ragbrai for a couple of years. It was well worth the wait. I’m writing this on Wednesday night (I had to check what day it was). It is hot. Hot as hell, but with high humidity (the devil’s shower room, I’d imagine). The evenings have been spent outside for the most part, but tonight it is just so hot, I’m in a corner of a cold basement hot-spotted to my phone writing. Too hot to do anything else.
There are a lot of interesting people who ride Ragbrai. Some are dressed in costume, some have diapers, and some are in speedos. ... Ok. And then there are 15,000 other people. It’s interesting that we take for granted the awesomeness of what we do in Iowa. We basically create a lot of what the world uses, and then we also have fantastic things like Ragbrai - the largest, longest, and best ride … by far .. in the world. People are here from all over because of this. In the Midwest, we also have Sturgis in South Dakota and the Mayo Clinic just north in Minnesota - among the very few fantastical things we have to offer in the north central part of the US. All over the world people come for experiences that heal the body and soul.
A beautiful thing to me is the openness of the host communities and the pass through towns. People are so incredibly welcoming. My pause for reflection this week is to always be accommodating and really open my eyes to gifts. Tao Te Ching said “when the student is ready, the teacher appears”. Be aware, be open and give, and accept gratitude willingly and often.
Life is short - when given the chance, dress in diapers and ride your bike for five hundred miles; it’ll do you good.
 |
 |
 |
