Summer of Rediscovery

The winter of my discontent has passed. How do I know you ask? Is it because the calendar reads "April"? Is it because like the silk worm I spun a chrysalis and am now emerging as a beautiful butterfly? No, the winter of my discontent is over because Adele can no longer make me cry! That's right, her songs no longer apply. I am on the mend.

I'm going to skip right over spring because I don't have a catchy phrase for it but this summer is going to be my Summer of Rediscovery! I stole this from an acquaintance, a guy from my support group. All of the divorce self-help tells one to spend time discovering who they are, do things you have never done, do things you used to do when you were single. So I signed up for a 471-mile bike ride across Iowa! I know, crazy right? What was I thinking? Peer pressure?

My friend, Jennifer Bacon, is from Iowa and has ridden in RAGBRAI (the Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa) for 10 years. I followed her on facebook the first year I met her when she was riding. I thought it sounded fun but impossible. I told her I wanted to go with her this year. I was kind of kidding, not really, but maybe. I thought, "I'll say I want to go but not follow through." But she wouldn't let me. She called me up when plane ticket prices started rising. She turned on the pressure. "We have to get them now, before the priced go up." I tried to whine and say I didn't have the money and what will Jensen do? And I will die...She wouldn't accept any of my lame-o excuses. Her counter was, "You need to do this for you! It is a stress reliever (really? 471 miles? on a bike?) And it is sooooo much fun. You will love my friends that I ride with and they will love you. And one of my friends is cute and he's your age. " Always, the perky cheerleader. So I caved.

I bought the plane ticket and thought, "I'll buy the ticket and I can always just go visit some new friends that I have made that are from Iowa." And I could check out the cute guy :)

And then deadline for RAGBRAI came around. I had to commit. More money...now I can't get out of this. So this summer...July 21-29, I will have my big fanny on a little bike riding across Iowa. (which is not flat, contrary to popular belief!) 7 days, 471 miles, sleeping in a tent at night.

That guy dang well better be cute! and rich!!!