Notes from Steve

So today is the Monday after RAGBRAI.*  The weather was perfect, and the amount of fun and camaraderie was beyond compare.  A good time was had by all.

2026 marks 10 years of Iowa Specialty Hospitals & Clinics doing RAGBRAI.  (I know that is actually 11 years, but for obvious reasons, 2020 was canceled).  My knowledge and appreciation for the state that I have been a resident of and loved for 61 years - grew exponentially by riding the backroads and experiencing the small communities I didn’t even know existed.  In my mind (and probably reality), I blather way too much about RAGBRAI and biking, but it’s more than 2 wheels and the exercise.  This is about experiencing life in the same place with another perspective.  It’s like those videos where someone who has been colorblind all their life gets new glasses and can, all of a sudden, see colors.  Life became bigger for me 11 years ago.

Brooke Nerlien said to me a couple of weeks ago - that she appreciated my take on wellness.  We talked about balance and the concept of wellness being more than the physical wellness.  “Wellness is all encompassing,” she said, “health of the mind, body, and spirit are equally important”.  Yep, I agree - you can overdo it if you only focus on one area.  

Take stock of your life.  Find a way to balance out your total health and strive to be your best self.  You deserve it, and so do all those who depend on you.

*I’m writing this before I go.  And a friend told me years ago - she was a self-proclaimed witch - “don’t put out anything in the atmosphere you don’t want to happen …”  Ok.  Noted.