madison got the best of us again! we're actually sticking around at least a few hours and we'll either just meander out of town late in the afternoon or stay one more night hahaha. as long as we're in rapid city on july 14th at midnite for harry potter all is well (it's the only major city around so we think we probably have no choice but to make sure we're there)
so those vibes. first of all, i have started to lose a lot of my concept of time. this is a pretty rare thing for people in our country to experience. i used to check my watch and know the date and the day of the week and how many hours i slept each nite, normal things of that sort. now a lot of the time im really just not sure. thats why i've given up dating these posts, it takes a lot of figuring out hahaha.
i feel sufficiently guilty that im having such a good time and relying so heavily on the kindness of strangers a lot of the time. however, guilt is not the necessary emotion to feel, so i am trying to channel it in other ways. leaving a really nice note or a little treat at the houses we stay at feels good. applying for a lot of jobs yesterday felt good. staying in touch with people feels good.
most of all its cool when people get really excited and want to know about our trip. they usually say something like, "i wish i had time, i've always wanted to do that", things along those lines, and my response is always the same.... do it, you can totally do it and the time is now. it really is all about your priorities. of course the real world comes with its restrictions and limitations. that is why i never want to own a house or a car or other expensive things of that sort that can tie you down. the more simply you live, the freer you are. i have had plenty of time to reflect on that and i have never felt it as much as i do now. i love when people comment that there's no way i have all the stuff i need just in my saddle bags, which are not full. while i should definitely give credit to phil here because he is carrying a lot of stuff that we both use, i love how on this trip i have figured out that i can live off of about 20 pounds of stuff that can fit in a backpack.
mostly on this trip i am feeling a lot of humility and gratitude. riding under the sun and the clouds and the stars and the moon with the breeze or the rain and the trees and the fields and the skyscrapers and the lakes and riding a beautiful bike alongside a beautiful person, meeting beautiful people, in perfect health, laughing and singing the day away... i know how blessed and lucky i am.
dont wait for things to work out for you in life... you can make them be working out by smiling, laughing, singing, letting go of whatever it is that you are worrying about but you know its not necessary. let other people know how you feel about them. question the motives behind what you do and let yourself be satisfied with the answers when you know they are good ones. look around at this beautiful earth, thank god it is still as beautiful as it is. learn everything you can every day and don't be afraid to feel the importance of the things that really get to you.