check your brakes

You probably think I’m going to give you some safety lecture on making sure you have the ability to stop when necessary. Not so.

Yesterday, my nephew Rich and I took a 30 mile bike ride as we are training for the “120 for Orphans”, a fundraiser bike ride for International Orphan Support in October. It was an especially hard ride. I felt like the wind was in my face the whole time. Rich was very patient and, several times, he waited for the old guy to catch up.

Here’s the thing: I got home and realized that my rear brakes had been dragging the whole time. Distance cyclists will tell you that this is a psychological game that can be played on you while on a long ride. But this was no game. I was shot after thirty miles of peddling with my breaks on.

As usual, I try to find some meaningful application from the everyday lessons of life.

Make sure your breaks aren’t dragging:

Don’t make life harder than it needs to be. Drop the stuff that slows you down. Stop long enough to evaluate if something seems wrong – and make adjustments! Don’t travel through life alone – make sure that there is someone who cares enough to wait for you when you are slow. And thank God for the difficult sessions – you are in training for some great things.