3-D

Today was a very very special day. Two nights ago I was having dinner with Eric and told him the idea to go out to the farm meet the kids and look at building some mountain bike trails. He was all about it and as excited as I was. We headed out this morning and met up with Tim who works at 3-D and he took us on a tour around their 4500 square foot house. They have utilized ever square foot of the house for the 10 kids now in the program. The guys were having hay day today since they didn’t have to go to class and we had the chance to just hang out and talk with them. We all sat around and they asked Eric and I questions about riding and what type of training there is to do this Ride Across America. So there are 10 kids the youngest is age 15 and the oldest is 18. A guy that is 3 days in the program and another that is going into his 8th month in the program. Everything is done to the T! They stick to a strict time schedule starting at 6:00am every day and going through 11:00pm.

 Every guy is so incredible in a way that they each have their own stories on what they have been through and each of them have some real talents. One guy Andrew, who has been in the program the longest, loves playing the guitar. I didn’t get the chance to listen in on it yet but from what the other guys say he is amazing. Some of them were BMX riders and skateboarders and some of them even shopped/ knew some of the employees at Reality Bikes. One played baseball and told us how much he misses it and how the drugs took over his life and that he is ready to get back out there on the field and play. Their addiction is one thing but when we were in that house it was different. I didn’t feel like these guys were addicts I just felt they were normal kids they just wanted to go out and run around and build stuff. Some of these kids have already faced charges, some have been to jail, and some have been kicked out of the parent’s house at the age of 16. These kids WANT to be in the program. They WANT to get better and to change and to be somebody one day. Today is a different day, today my attitude towards life has changed and I feel full of energy. The guys were very inviting and open. We were able to hear a testimony from Andrew that I heard the other night and a graduate of the program Chris came out to just share what changes he has faced at home with his family and the love he gets now and the way he looks at life and the challenges he faces.

Some of these guys struggle with failure. They struggle with the thought of not being able to finish something. That question came up to me and if I was scared to do this ride.... I laughed and said yeah I'm scared; I've never been away from home this long. I won’t meet anyone until I fly out there. What if I can’t ride one day what if I get injured? All those things go through my head but it’s not going to stop me from doing something I love. If I fail so be it.. I'll get right back up and try again. This is a journey that I want to take; this is a experience that I want to have. This ride will change me someway somehow. You can't hide from everything or run away from your fears.. You WILL fail time and time again.. You WILL get hurt.. You WILL hit rock bottom, but get right back up and keep going.
I'm so happy that I got to go out there and meet them and I'm glad Eric came with me. It feels good to be able to show people the reason why I'm doing this for the guys and not only the money I'm raising but the power of giving time and to just hang out with them. I'm looking forward to building the trails and showing the reason why i have this passion with riding. I'm looking forward to the bike shop Reality Bikes helping out and giving back. That’s what I've learned this is about, that’s what I remembered today, the reason for this all starting was for me to finally give back to the community.