A pebble moves the current
What started as a wonderful morning suddenly went south when I learned that my Low Cadence bike would most likely not be available for my Ride for Mike. That wasn’t the main thing getting me down though. It was just the tipping point. However, by the end of the day I received the extra motivation to keep pushing forward. It always seems to happen that way.
I don’t know how I ended up doing this. To raise money like this and raise awareness for a cause means you have to be a bit of a promoter. This is in conflict with my personality. One, I am not a person who likes to be out in public. Two, I don’t handle rejection very well. Yet, here I am nearly every day exposing myself on this blog, on Twitter, and who knows where else.
I’m also not a very confident person. Setting a goal of $14,000 was a HUGE step of faith for me. Investing in coffee giveaways and a Low Cadence kit seemed so risky. And so it was that I started to get concerned when I announced a new order for the kit and most of the responses were, “I might be interested in one.” My thought to myself was, “Who are you kidding? Who is going to want to give $150 for one of these?” I then looked around at other better promoters and compared myself. “See, if you were any good at this stuff, you could do THAT.”
Suddenly my lack of confidence in what I was doing started to weigh me down. I wanted so much for others to share my excitement for what I am doing and come along side to help. Before going into my house for lunch I tweeted, “Can’t seem to shake the doldrums today. Feeling pretty small at the moment – a pebble in the bottom of a swiftly flowing stream.”
After lunch the beautiful redhead got up from the table and returned with a paper in her hand. “Well, I’ve started reserving the hotel rooms for the Ride for Mike.” She then went down the list of the Hampton Inns stretching from Alabama to North Carolina where we will be staying. Every single one offered us a discount. “I want to help with the ride,” one manager said. “I can’t give money, but I can give you a room for $29.” Other managers mentioned how they looked forward to helping those who are raising money for charity. In some cases we are not the only ones traveling through on these missions of mercy.
“Wow,” I thought to myself. “I’m not alone.” I was struck by the realization that even total strangers can be drawn to show compassion when encouraged. As I prepared to go back to work, already my spirit was lifted.
Then I walked out to the car and noticed the mail truck had just passed. I walked over and pulled the various pieces out of the box. One of the envelopes did not have an address or a stamp. It just had my name written on it. I thought perhaps it was money for my son who shares my name and cuts grass for some of the neighbors.
I opened it and found the following letter along with a check. The amount of the check is immaterial. The letter was gold.
Dear Jonathan,
I am your neighbor from down the street and was touched and inspired by the recent story in the paper and your ride. I admire you for both preserving the memory of a beloved friend and for having the courage to get back on the bike after your most unfortunate accident.
One of my four sons is a passionate biker and works with bicycles and he rides many miles as he is an insulin-dependent diabetic. So I wish he could meet and support you. I also have one of my other sons who has ridden his bike for charity to Florida and he just left a local church where he was youth pastor to get his PhD at Westminister Seminary in Philadelphia.
So, we have many “connecting” lines. I wish you a safe journey and an adventure too.
Sincerely,
Emily
I got back in the car with moist eyes. Before pulling out of the driveway, I took a quick glance at my Low Cadence Twitter feed. There was a reply to my earlier tweet. @Highmountain4 wrote, “Even the smallest pebble affects the flow.”
A wonderful reminder. What was getting me down was I was starting to focus too much on me. I wanted to be a “big rock” in the stream. Yet, consider how many pebbles there are beneath the currents. What would happen if they were not there invisibly holding back the erosion that would surely pull the boulders from their places. So, I’m a pebble. Even a pebble can be an encouragement. Many pebbles can command a river.
Tags: Ride for Mike
And it only took ONE SMALL PEBBLE to bring down Goliath!!
This was a awesome post, thank you. I would like to add your feed to my site, do you have one available? I will return later for your reply. Thank you!