Rich Dixon’s back riding.

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More about journey and destination.

For many reasons, most of our Cape G events didn’t materialize. We met with a great group of kids and enjoyed a wonderful conversation with U.S. Congresswoman Jo Ann Emerson. Otherwise, our much-anticipated weekend in Cape Girardeau passed quietly.

Dreams aren’t efficient, adventures aren’t preplanned tours. Becky kept reminding me – God would bring us together with the right people and opportunities.

My riding schedule around Cape G was a bit unusual. On Thursday I cranked from Carbondale on the Illinois side. A Friday event fell through, so I backtracked and approached on the Missouri side.

Thursday’s route followed an Illinois highway with smooth, wide shoulders. I hardly shifted gears to negotiate infrequent, long, gradual hills.

Friday brought country roads and nonstop, steep rolling hills. I either crawled up difficult inclines or coasted downhill.

Thursday’s highway ride was noisy, not especially scenic, and fairly easy – all about rhythm and consistent cranking. Friday featured stillness, lovely farmyards, and alternating uphill struggles and downhill thrills.

Two distinct rides along dissimilar routes. Both concluded in the same city after covering similar distance. Similar time and average speed.

Were the rides similar, or completely different? Which was better?

A dream is the God-inspired desire
to share your unique gifts and passions
to serve others and change the world.

“Change the world” is the destination. The result matters.

But life happens on the road. “Share” and “serve” are the process, the experience, the way you run the race. Getting there is great, but how you get there matters, too. Enjoying and learning from the journey makes getting there worth the effort.

Traveling well matters, and a big part of traveling well is avoiding silly comparisons. These two rides provided different experiences, each with its own challenges and joys. The trick is to appreciate each day for itself and its gifts rather than wasting precious energy comparing.

Each of these rides, in its own unique way, was its own, and provided all we needed.

To be continued…