Meeting Many Others:

This past week Cole and I did RAGBRAI.  I did this last year as well. RAGBRAI is the Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa and it is the oldest and largest Bike touring event in the world.  People come from other states in the United States and even some other countries in order to participate in this event.  Some people even travel every year to be able to complete it.    

I always enjoyed RAGBRAI.  I first got to experience RAGBRAI when the bikers came through my town when I was a young kid, and other times throughout my life I got to see them all cross major intersections when I had to wait to cross while in a vehicle.  I also have loved biking since about the age of 10, and got myself a really nice road bike when I turned 17.  I always knew this type of event would be challenging but it was a challenge I was excited to experience.  Now I have gotten to experience it twice!

One thing I love most about RAGBRAI is getting to meet those people from all around the world and even the people from the towns we were passing through.  There were so many people who were so excited to see all these people and all these bikers passing through their hometowns.  My favorite was seeing the older couples sitting outside on their porch waving.  I can only imagine how pleasant their conversation was.  They just got to sit outside and watch all the bikes go by.  It doesn’t have to be a big thing, just a chance to watch an event not happening everyday. 

This warms my heart.  We often talk about how the internet and cell phones are separating people and making us distant and lonely.  I do believe there is a lot of truth and science behind this statement.  However, you don’t notice this lack of communication during a week like RAGBRAI.  On a week like RAGBRAI, people are meeting new people and are talking to one another and getting to spend time camping or at music events or eating new vendor’s foods and drinks.  It is a community of people, you just hadn’t yet met.  

One example of a man I met was a man who was doing his first RAGBRAI.  He actually lost over 200 pounds, biking and exercising, and just turning his life around for the healthier.  It was also his birthday on the day we were finishing the ride, so this RAGBRAI experience was his gift to himself.  He wanted to do this, and he was going to cross the finish line, or in this case dip his tire in the Mississippi River signaling crossing over to a new state in order to commemorate his new lifestyle.  I didn’t get to see him finish, but I bet he was super excited and pumped to be there.  I am glad his loved ones were traveling as well to see him finish.  

Another example was on a day I met a group of three other women. They were incredibly nice and encouraging, especially on a day that was in a heat advisory and a strong, (and I do mean strong) head wind. The third day of biking was one of the hardest I had ever experienced, and I am glad I got to meet some new people who were able to encourage me and helped me finish the third day.  If I am completely honest, I think I otherwise would have gotten a ride home for part of that day because it was so hot and it was so difficult.  I also had Cole also encouraging me along.  

This actually leads me to sharing a verse from the Bible.  A verse I would like to highlight is a very popular one which is 1 Thessalonians 5:11 and this says, “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.”  Even though this verse is fairly popular, it does not mean that it is followed super well.  There are many times that we as people forget to support and to encourage one another.  On this trip in RAGBRAI, we as people and bikers were encouraged and supported. 

The challenge for this week is to spend time with those who are around you.  This may include time away from technology and from your phones.  This is uninterrupted from the distractions coming in from the world and the distractions coming from our devices.  This could even be with someone you hardly ever have a chance to talk to or a new person you have met.