lost and found in retirement
February 21, 1970 was not a typical Saturday morning. I would normally be glued to the TV watching cartoons. Instead, I was preparing to visit my father in Alliance City Hospital. He was being transferred out of intensive care. A phone call that morning changed my world. The call from the hospical infomred my mother that my father had passed away. My dad lived an…
I nervously scanned the people in the conference room at Summa Akron City Hospital on that cold January night in 2008. I was taking my first step towards bariatric surgery by attending a weight loss seminar. I saw a cross-section of obese people who appeared to be equally as uneasy. I suspect my newer friends and followers may not know I had bariatric surgery. I…
Community I toured Florida’s Space Coast in early spring on Bike Florida’s supported weeklong tour. Like Ohio’s GOBA, this ride is a moving community of cyclists where people of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities return to renew friendships and make new friends. Flavor I returned to the North Carolina Coastal Tour in late April. Mom and pop diners and dives are on my radar on…
I battled bad habits most of my life. Vince Lombardi once said, “Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing.” This points out, there are habits that are good that need to become part of our life. I have worked on moving many of my bad habits to the good habit side over the past 10 years. Resolutions will be in your mind as the…
Last week I set out on my first solo bike tour. It was a time of apprehension and anticipation. I was uncertain what I would find out about myself and solo touring. It was a wonderful experience, something I will do more of in the future. Here is what I learned about life from my week in the saddle. Every day is a new adventure….
This morning I pedaled out of Harpers Ferry with a breakfast destination fifteen miles west in Shepherdstown. I cycled up the switchback from the canal trail to the main road into town. I was pleasantly surprised that there was a wide shoulder on both sides of the highway welcoming towpath cycle tourists into the quaint college town. I Yelped Betty’s restaurant and easily found myself…
Retirement gives me more opportunities to cycle. Cycling for a cause is an important part of my cycling adventures. I cycled the Bike MS 150 for many years prior to my retirement. I looked to continue this tradition in central Ohio. Pelotonia is the premiere charity bike ride in Columbus. It is integrated into central Ohio bike culture with the expectation that “serious” cyclists be…
I was a different person ten years ago. I was sedentary, obese, and unhappy. It was not a good situation to be in less than three years after open heart surgery. A change had to happen. Frustrated with my failed weight loss attempts, I pursued weight loss (bariatric) surgery. I spent most of my life trying to find myself. When I finally found “me”- the real…
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