Making A Difference

I’m an avid recreational cyclist.  I post my rides on the blog to share with others.  With three kids I don’t really have much time to get on my bike more than once a week or so.  Each year some friends and I train for a 100 mile ride, or Century, that takes place in September.  To reach that mileage I need to get out most weekends, gradually increasing the mileage each week.

So Todd Hager leaves me an email to see if I would like to do an 80-mile organized ride with him near Columbus, OH, on Saturday, August 16th.  Perfect in terms of mileage and timing.  My 15th anniversary is on Thursday, August 14th.  Not looking so good.

Let’s pick up the conversation last Saturday.

Me: So, what would you like to do for our anniver…no, wait, I’ll plan it.

Andrea: We’re going on a couple vacations and we don’t have extra money to spend, so let’s just go out for a nice dinner and get each other cards.  No gifts.

Me (looking in disbelief): Are you sure?

Now I know what you’re thinking.  No, this is not where things go terribly wrong.  Really.  She was serious.  So let’s pick it up from here - where things do go terribly wrong.

Me: So, would you like to go out the evening of?  The weekend before?  Or the weekend after?  Does it matter?

Andrea: Any of those is fin…wait.  You want to DO something.

She totally had me.  She didn’t know what, but she knew I had something in mind.  Well, that ruined it, at least at that point.  I still don’t know if I’m doing that ride in Columbus, but I know we will be dropping our kids off with some good friends on Thursday evening, eating at a great restaurant downtown, and spending the night in a really nice suite.  I’m looking forward to it!  And so is she!

- Andy