Connecting the Dots: Mountain Biking in Austria

The cold rain had started falling again and blood from the slashes in my right calf began inching down to my socks. A portion of the trail, normally about four feet wide, had collapsed due to the excessive amounts of rainfall this year. While pushing my bike around the landslide, a sharp metal protrusion from the bike’s pedal made two separate slices about two inches long on my calf.

The journey to the summit was difficult. The temperature was 50 degrees Fahrenheit in the city and continued to drop as we continued to rise up the mountain. The rain came and went in 20-minute intervals causing continual fluctuations in body temperature. You were cold and dripping wet when the rain was falling, then roasting in your jacket when the rain stopped.

Interestingly, I was the one that chose mountain biking in the first place. Part of the purpose of this trip is personal growth. I have been thinking a lot about stories…or rather, my story. The reason a movie will not be made about most of our lives is because most of us rarely truly dive into life. Sure, there are moments when a challenge arrives or an unexpected shift in life or a conflict appears, but as a whole, we prefer the comforts of routine and the emotional stability associated with that. We enjoy watching actors struggle with the roller coaster that can be life, but we fail to dive into challenges (or opportunities) presented due to fear or simple complacency.

While only a small step, I chose mountain biking because it was the most difficult option considering the weather. I knew the trail would be wet and slippery and the air cold and thin. I knew the climb was going to be even harder than I expected and anticipated the reward at the top to be less fulfilling than I hoped. But I also knew the change, the growth, does not occur when we are sitting at the top or when we are watching from the sidelines. It comes during the struggles of the journey: the harder the trip, the more fulfilling the memory, the greater the story. I want to write more stories. My challenge will be to turn this new outlook into a personal behavior before I return home. I want to write more stories.