100 PEDALS

It was the Fall of 2009, when I first came to the reality of my youngest son’s heroin addiction-homeless, in legal trouble, and now, in jail. Over the next fifteen months, I drove cross country from Phoenix to Detroit twice to facilitate a change in his environment, only to deal with him getting arrested again, endured a sixty days jail stay, awakened him out of a near overdose high, kicked him out of the house several times and re-acquired several personal items back from pawn brokers that were sold to buy drugs. To say the least, it has been and still is quite an experience. And, is one that I would never have wished for in my life and have no way to avoid now.

During the 2010 holiday season, after removing my son from the house again, I realized the impact that his addiction was having on my life. My business, my relationships, and my overall physical and mental health had taken a toll during this fifteen month odyssey. I had invested every ounce of time and energy I could muster to help him, then 23, overcome this addiction. It seemed that his progress, if any, was minimal. And, the slower the progress the more I invested in helping him. That is when I realized that I cannot do this for him anymore, I cannot want it bad enough for him to recover, and that he needed my love and my support, but not my enablement.

The challenge I put in front of myself was how can I be strong for him when he is present and receptive and even stronger for me when he is not? Then, I came up with this crazy idea.

I made a commitment to ride my bike for at least one hour for the next 100 days. This commitment serves several purposes. First, it helps me understand the enormous burden of having to do something every single day for an extended period of time without knowing how or if I even could—in a small way it is like overcoming an addiction. Second, it provides an example to my son what making and fulfilling a challenging commitment looks like. Finally, this commitment gives me perspective, strength, and better mental and physical health.

From the beginning, my rides re-connected me to what I had been living, doing, thinking and being the past fifteen months. I also started taking my life experiences and my innermost feelings and beliefs on these rides; plus, Brandon’s addiction, our conversations, and related challenges came along, as well. Along the way, I started to connect with inspirational and educational opportunities these rides were offering me. Not only was I living the experience of the accomplishments of my commitment, but I was connecting in a sort of meditative state to clarity of purpose for these rides and my life. These rides started to engage and empower me and inspire me in the face of my pain and confusion.

Suddenly I discovered that not only were these rides providing me focus and clarity for my life, or for my Brandon’s life; but they were also providing potential messages of inspiration for others, as well. After all, everyone is going through something. And, everyone is continually looking for guidance, inspiration, and advice. Though the lessons in my rides were speaking to me and helping me with my issues with Brandon, I realized I was also being offered something to share with others as it relates to the challenges and frustrations in their lives.

In the end, 100 Pedals provided a lesson for all of us. It provided perspectives on our commitments, how we communicate, on the power of teamwork, the joy of fulfillment and accomplishment, and finding happiness. 100 Pedals provides a fresh perspective for individuals, teams, and organizations for defining and realizing great outcomes in the face of adversity. I am excited and inspired by the insights I have obtained on my rides; I am pleased to be have the opportunity to share them with you. While 100 Pedals is about my personal journey, I look forward to you joining me in your own personal, inspirational way. Let’s ride!