Drizzling, cold rain kept my drive along the Pacific Coast Highway a soggy mess. “Poor cyclists”, I thought as I passed what looked like a race. What a DREARY day for a race!
The longer I drove, the more I realized something was DIFFERENT about these cyclists. Sure, some had the lean, hard Lance Armstrong bodies one comes to expect in a bicycle race. But most of these folks were different. A number of them looked like weekend warriors, puffing as they edged up the hill entering Laguna Beach. Pudgy legs, tummies over the handlebars, and gray hair matted down under blue and white pointed hard plastic helmets. Some were young adolescents, peddling in bravado ahead of the adults. A couple hundred riders of different ages, sizes, shapes, and colors. “What’s going on?” I thought as I tried to peer through the beat of the windshield wipers.
A number of observers stood by the side of the road, cheering, waving, and holding up posters that looked none the worse for the rain.
BEAT MS!!!
Leading from the Heart to Beat Multiple Sclerosis
“Oh,” I slowed down, waved, and gave a thumbs-up. It was a ride to raise money for multiple sclerosis—that scourge of a disease that turns life into a complicated, never-ending battle to just move. Every week, some 200 people are diagnosed with MS.
I passed a team of six wearing identical jerseys “SPOKES people in the fight against MS.”. Spokes? I get it: Bicycles!! I laughed out loud, gave them a thumbs-up, and blew a kiss as I passed. It became a GREAT day for a race—the human race.
PS: Blowing kisses is not enough. Where is your heart called? So many causes need our help. I have four friends who have been diagnosed with Parkinson’s. That calls me.
Alzheimer's: Another Horrid Disease
Alzheimer’s is another horrid disease for which there is no cure and no stopping. My grandmother, father, and mother all suffered from dementia. Dad had Lewy Bodies. Nana and Mom had Alzheimer’s. Indeed, my heart responds big time. Every time I can’t remember something, a feeling of panic washes over me.
Bottom line: In this month of Thanksgiving, what calls your heart?