I’m on Ragbrai this week. Yesterday was the 2 year anniversary of my bariatric surgery. Pre-surgery, I felt like I was slowly dying. It hurt to walk - all I wanted to do was lay on the couch … I was aging and dying in place. Now, the answer for everyone isn’t what I did. But for me, it was life changing. Back then, I couldn't imagine doing a whole week of riding a bike … in the hills and heat of midsummer southern Iowa. I couldn’t imagine feeling like I wanted to live life again. And 50 is too young to die.
Again, my solution was my solution. What I want to convey is that everyone’s journey (for the most part) is not set in stone. The ability to modify, and grow, and explore life from another angle is a God thing. We can change weight, change our hair, change our geography, change our situation … but it takes vision and it takes courage.
For years I felt stuck. I felt I had no choice. I had myself convinced that I had to do certain things (coffee shops, music at church, community stuff) because if I didn’t, they would fail and it would be my fault. Slowly a little voice in the back of my head* said, “Not really, it’ll all be fine. You do what you need to do”. I’m happy to say that I listened to the voice and now am planning on riding 450 miles in a healthier body across the great state of Iowa.
“I’m moving to the country … gonna eat a lot of peaches”- lyrics from a song I’m listening to now. If this is what you need to do to revive and live, then do it! If running a marathon; or being a parent; or doing ballet; or singing karaoke is the thing, by all means, do it! Listen to that little voice, get off the couch, and take action. Some day it will be too late.
*God
-Steve Simonin, President & CEO
