New York - to Syracuse and beyond Up until Ragbrai, my riding was wide open, no deadlines, no firm destinations. Ragbrai was my hump day. Since then, I was moving through states more quickly, and had many more Rotarian hosts. In both New York and western Mass, Rotarians ramped it up and were far more involved in my journey. Phyllis Danks, an Assistant Governor for District 7150, was the Rotarian who worked so hard to coordinate hosts for me through New York. She also invited me to address a group of Rotary Leaders in Zone 29 at their Summer Success Seminar. I was trying to get there for a 5:30 start time, so was hoping to reach East Syracuse by 4:30. This meant I needed to leave Louisa and Wim early - I was on the road by 7. Friday would be a 100 mile day - staying along Rt 31 most of the ride. It was another beautiful day, with a slight tailwind. It was also following the Erie Canal, so was again nice and level. That is, until 2:30 when I got to Elbridge, called Phyllis and told here I was about 2 hours away. Thats when the hills started lol! A bit later I was in Camillus, and my phone battery was dead. Short battery life when using it for GPS, so I tended only to use it in cities. But I knew I needed at least a 75% charge to get through Syracuse. I looked for a place to charge up. Fortunately for me, Wise Guyz Pawn Shop proprietor Jason Braun (Jay) had set up a sidewalk display that afternoon to sell product. I asked if I could charge my phone for a bit, and he agreed. We got to talking - the usual, where are you going to, where are you coming from. Jay just couldnt get over the scope of my trip. Plus, it turns out he worked for a number of years in Lawrence, by the river - and my home is right next door in Merrimac. And his girlfriend Julie is from Spokane! We spent the next 20 minutes comparing notes, with Jay interrupting regularly to say he just couldnt believe I was riding all that way! It was a nice break - they invited me to stay for dinner, but I had plans, so finally had to leave. The phone was at 60% - I hoped it would be enough. I got to Syracuse at 4:30. I needed to get through the city to East Syracuse, and had 10 miles to go. Most days that I did a century, I would arrive at my destination after 8. Not an option this time - so after 90 miles, I put on my big boy pants and sprinted the last 10 miles to Phyllis house. Well, I say sprint. Red lights, stop signs and a detour off Rt 5 made my job much more challenging! It was about 5:30 when I finally arrived, exhausted, hot and sweaty. I planned on taking a super quick shower and hopping in the car so that we could get to the event. Phyllis was far less stressed about it than I was - I remember that clearly. From the moment I arrived, she was incredibly gracious and wonderful. Fortunately she lived 5 minutes from the facility where the event was being held. We arrived at the Zone 29 Summer Success Seminar at about 6 pm. There were a total of 4 districts present - so this was a meeting of District Governors, DG track people, Assistant Governors and District officers from all 4 Districts. Some very highly motivated people, to say the least. Social hour was just about over. I was not sure what to expect, but was overwhelmed as I walked in. It seemed everyone there, about 40 people, had been waiting for me to arrive, and as I walked by the bar, was surrounded by Rotarians greeting and welcoming me. This was when I first got to meet District Governor Deb Glisson. No handshake here - nothing less than a big welcoming hug. Funny how quickly the stress of my last 3 hours just seemed to dissipate! The event to which I had been invited was a planning and training weekend. I was very honored that they had made time for me to briefly share about my trip. And all through dinner Rotarians came over to congratulate me, ask questions, and assure me they could never ride such distances. I heard that a lot this summer. I always assured people that as late as last summer, I was in no shape to tackle this either. It is important to me that people hear the part of my message that says, I may be 50, but I am still young enough to dream. So are YOU! And if one has the courage to dream, then often the determination needed to reach high is not far behind. But dreams exist in the ether beyond the confines of our comfort zone. That is why we need courage to reach for them. During the dinner, I was honored to be able to spend a few moments with Rotary International Director Mary Beth Growney Selene. She is in her second year as Director, and was to be the keynote speaker that evening. I was touched by her approachability and sincerity, and impressed by the directness of her comments. Her message about membership in Rotary and challenges to its growth was very much on point. We also were led in an interesting and fun exercise to highlight just how difficult it can be to communicate effectively. We were each given a card with a word that we had to get others to guess. We could draw but not write. I wish I could show you some of the pictures - I still dont think that was really an elephant...but it was the first one at our table to be guessed, so there you go! I think someone was messing with the new guys head. My word? doxen. Now - Im not supposed to show anyone my word. I dont know what it is, so Im feeling kinda dumb right now. Everyone else is sketching and guessing. And Im trying to dig deep to figure out what a doxen is. Im even beginning to wonder if everyone else has a nonsense word too, and that there was some interpretation involved. Finally everyone was done. Everyone but me. The new guy. Maybe the sun had done in my brain, Im thinking. As the game finished, I finally sought help from my table mates. My spirits lifted slightly when my word was met with puzzled looks by my table mates.Finally one of them showed it to the game master, who said - its a dog. You know, a doxen. Turns out it wasnt pick on the new guy after all :) Anyone out there have a dachshund? The exercise led into a great discussion for the evening, and I could tell the next day was going to be fun, powerful and productive. I was invited to stay and join them Saturday. And would have loved to. I had just met them, but these people made me feel as if I could fit right in. I was once again struck by the universality of Rotary International. The shared common values and goals which define our organization. We do, of course, have our differences, and God knows we have our weaknesses and our egos, but what a great organization. I realized this summer that both for our country and for Rotary, I should judge by the lofty goals which we hold before us, as opposed to measuring them based on how far we fall short of those goals. This is an important lesson I hope not to forget! At the end of the evening, Phyllis brought me home. Governor Deb is staying with her, and so the three of us sat in the living room and just chilled. I say the three of us, but we had several feline companions. Very friendly - and so funny. I spent 10 minutes in the kitchen with Phyllis watching two of them fight over drinking from the faucet. One of them (I cant remember his name) couldnt quite figure it out, and would get frustrated with the second, who had no problem at all. He would periodically take out his frustration by batting the poor sibling on the side of the head :) I finally had to go to bed, as I needed to get up at 5 to begin my LOOOONG day from Syracuse to Pittsfield. As I look back at the New York visit, I was so honored and touched at the effort they went to in order to make me feel comfortable and to take good care of me. Phyllis Danks, you were amazing - I thank you and Governor Deb, and Dave and Kathy Greenfield, and Louisa and Wim Baars for hosting me. And to the Rotarians in Zone 29 - a very special thank for allowing me to share in your Summer Success Seminar. You have added much to my trip with your friendship and hospitality - and I wish you the very best!
Posted on: Wed, 20 Aug 2014 23:24:07 +0000
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