Then and Now

18 years ago, in a town not so far away ("Ft. Fun") lived a high school girl named Beth. She loved being with her group/culture--the runners. In the summer, one morning each week, "Coach" would pick her up, then Kirsten, and head to the foothills to run up the switchbacks. Along with being with the small group of friends they met there, what made the early trip worth it was getting to the top of the switchbacks, pausing (rest break!), and seeing the beautiful Horsetooth Reservoire, still in the early morning hours.

Many years (18+) later, the same girl, Beth, couldn't run, but she was still and athlete who was willing to get up at 4:3oam to drive (had to do it herself now) to the mountains to be with some of her favorite people who shared her passion for being together and handcycling. This weekend, the last weekend of group handcycling, a van then drove the group closer to Glenwood Springs. Handcycles were then unloaded and the group cranked 15 miles into Glenwood. They rested in a park, Quentin and Beth "flinging" themselves off their bikes and onto the grass--you can't do this without a handcycle, but you wanna try? The van driver eventually found the park, and the handcyclists relaxing on the grass. They were so relaxed that he asked them if they wanted their wheelchairs, and as he left to get them, an anonymous (though not Beth!) handcyclist added the hilarious and sarcastic comment "hey able bodied person, do you want your feet?" Beth laughed so hard the tears almost came.

In both "stories" Beth returned home feeling fulfilled, loving that life, though she was really tired after the handcycling and confirming temps were in the 90s that day. So, there's a tiny bit of Beth's world lately. Returning home, there's some stress--she's giving her kitty fluids under the skin daily to fight renal failure, and is going to have an MRI of her hip soon because steroids over the years may have caused some damage--ouch. But all this is do-able and fine when she has fulfilling experiences like this weekend's, with something telling her to go, go, go...