On the Journey, almost every hour of the day was planned out. 5 am wakeups were typical followed by anywhere from 5 to 8 hours of cycling on the road. When we'd arrive at lodging, we'd stay busy with showers, Walmart and bike shop runs, and quick naps before a sponsored dinner or Friendship Visit. Afterwards, some of the more energetic guys would go out at night while others would pass out around 10 to rest up for the next day. This might sound hectic but I loved it. We all did. To transition from that to entire days of lying in bed is not easy. Boredom doesn't quite do justice to describe my new daily routine. I'm used to staying very busy, whether at school or on the Journey. Rest and recovery don't suit me well. I'm also not very patient, can you tell?
However, my body needed this rest. After Drayton and I left the hospital, I was able to stay with the team for 3 more days. At first, my excitement to have left the hospital carried me. Before long, my body began to fight back as it needed rest to recover from significant surgery. I could last until noon without taking my pain pills before it got to the point where I couldn't hold a conversation due to pain. I'd pop a percocet and pass out for the next 3 hours. I didn't want the guys to know that I was in pain because then they'd try and take care of me when they had other stuff they needed to be doing. After 72 hours my desire for self preservation was able to reason with my stubbornness that this daily routine wasn't healthy. I talked with my Project Manager and my parents and I was on a plane back to Indy the next morning. JT and Trevor, thanks for givin me a ride to the airport, I enjoyed our talk on the way there.
So here I am back in Indy. Home sweet home. It sucks not being out on the road with the team. I had devoted not only my entire summer to this cause but also countless hours of training and fundraising during the school year. To not be with the team for a week and a half and to have only cycled half the distance is something I've had trouble dealing with. I feel like I'm cheating myself and my sponsors. Also, there was always a pride piece in me signing up for this. There's a profound sense of accomplishment in cycling all the way across the country. I'm no longer able to do that. I'm frustrated. I'm in pain. The pain adds to the frustration. I've tried to find meaning in my injury and had mixed results in discovering the answers. After about 3 days with this toxic attitude, something caused a change in my perspective. Still not sure what it was. However, I realized that the answer had been staring at me all along. It's not about the bike.
I'll repeat it to further convince myself. It's not about the bike. It never had been, from day 1 we had been told this. The ride is just a means for us to gain publicity to further our true mission: to change society's perception of those with disabilities and fraternity men. It's calming, reassuring to truly believe in something like that.
Finally, to say that I'm not having any fun would be a lie. I pass the time with Entourage, my boy Harry Potter, and hangin out with two of my favorite people. I get to lay around in the sun and work off this awesome/terrible farmers tan that 8 hours a day on the bike will get you. Side note: the team gave me the nickname David (pronounced with a sexy Spanish accent) due to my deep tan and natural charm, obviously. David is a Cuban poolboy. Cougar bait, if you will. Well boys, poolboy is back haha. Back to the story. This past week has been a welcome break for my body and it's always good to reconnect with those back home. I went to the doctor on Friday and he told me that while the break in the collarbone was worse than expected and rehab will take longer (damnit) my shoulder will be fine. I'm trying to do all that I can to ensure a quick and healthy heal. Until that point, I'm excited to rejoin the team on Monday in Terre Haute and finish out this incredible Journey.
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