Merging of "clubs"

It was 7:20 pm, too late to start on a real bikeride, or given that it was me, was it too late? Off I went. My thought was that, if I really could find some way to go faster on the uphill parts, I could cut the 90 minute ride and make it home before dark! In Parker, it seems I go either all uphill or downhill for half the ride, and then the reverse for the second half. So this ride started with the uphill part. I'm digressing from the whole point of this writing.

Throughout this ride, "worlds" that have been an integral part of my life came and went, merging at times so the "clubs/teams" where I've belonged were all there. So, starting in high school (and I was thinking that while I was riding, there were some summer intervals taking place at Edora Park in "Ft. Fun" ie Ft. Collins), going up hill after hill was like the intervals I did so long ago at Edora Park, so I was feeling a part of that interval club again, with Coach Luckasen pushing us by saying "someone has to win" and Coach Martin on the flat parts yelling calmly "Maintain." Shifting to college, one hill clearly reminded me of the "YBF" (your best friend) hill at Kenyon--I looked up and thought "what was I thinking about going fast up all these hills?" Going downhill, I was actually thinking I could have "toasted" Coach Gomez, or at least maybe cut him off or something. And then there's Charlie the ski coach, who never has gone, for me, by the name "Coach," but he is one, and in doing this ride, I thought of him telling me last year I needed to come to the handcycle festival. I did--I made it .75 mles from the end of an uphill ride (further than I ever expected), but the festival is coming again and this time I want to make it the whole way--only about 3 weeks of training left!

So although I was alone, all these worlds were merging at different points along with the people who were part of the worlds. There was a feeling of the "clubs" coming together, and that my athletic mindset will never be gone, and therefore, nor will those worlds. Of course, that athletic mindset may not be the smartest thing, but I broke a sweat and got out of breath and that hasn't been possible for me with MS for a long time. And being that the athletic mindset for me yields this competitive factor of me against the clock, I did make it back before dark--the 90 minute ride was shortened to 65 minutes. Umm...I was probably too competitive on the downhill parts and was hoping not to splat all over the road and land in the hospital.

And where does faith fit into all of this? I think God was there for all of this--at what level, I do not know. It may be that God knew this ride was a bit unsafe at dusk and somehow, I was kept safe during it. Maybe it was in the merging of worlds. I don't think I'll know the answer to that one, except that God was there.