Year of Big Change, Big Thanks, Lots of Fresh Air, and Petty Gripes

In 2010, when I didn't ride in winters and I had very rigid rules of when it was too cold or precipitous (precipitation-filled?) to be on a bike, we had a really warm Thanksgiving. I started my Thanksgiving bike riding tradition that day, which has continued every year, regardless of the weather. 

Interestingly, the bike rides help me remember what we ate for dinner. Or do the dinners remind me of the bike rides? In any event, we had Indian buffet that first year. (The rice was a little dry.) The year after, I rode near some wild turkeys in the drizzle while I had a turkey in the oven at home. A few years later, we tried Ol' Mexico. 

Today, we made a repeat visit to Merlin's Rest. The last time we went to this Irish bar for Thanksgiving, it was snowy and really cold. I learned three important things that day: riding a fat tire bike can be tons of fun, I cannot ignore my poor circulation, and Irish whiskey in coffee is gross.

Today was a great day. It got up to about 40 degrees, there was a little bit of wind that slightly hampered western movement, and it was sunny. Ah, sun. 

For some reason, I opted to stay behind the trees
when taking a photo of the Grain Belt Beer sign.

During the bike ride, I was reflecting on 2017 thus far. I got to visit my friend Ian and my sister Molly's family in February, our BikeMS team grew a ton, we raised a new team record  amount of money for the MS Society, we did the MS150 in the most unbelievable storm, there was a memorable scenic hill I rode up while doing the MS TRAM that I remember fondly, we had a fun family reunion in Kentucky, I got to visit one set of parents in the north woods, and I got to go to Duluth with the other set. Professionally, I resigned - after 11 years - from an excellent job with amazing colleagues who taught me a lot and am learning new things at another excellent job with amazing colleagues, while still getting to work on tobacco control policy. 

I am grateful for my family, a good job, a lot of time riding around on my bike, and my health. Any complaints I have are all superficial and unimportant. Not everyone is as lucky. I know people who have lost loved ones, and who are struggling with serious illnesses. That makes my heart hurt. 

I can't solve everything, but I can do what I can do. So, as I spend the weekend eating turkey, hanging out with friends, and making excuses to not go to the gym, I'm thinking ahead to next year's BikeMS rides (and impatiently waiting for the 5-day TRAM route to be announced and for registration to open!), working with some teammates on some fundraising ideas, and am talking to the MS Society about recruiting, supporting, and retaining riders. 

Thanks to anyone who is reading this. You've supported me in one way or another, and for that I am grateful.

http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/MS150Maggie2018