So I know you guys are hungry for updates, but let me tell you life is crazy. I really can't wait for the summer when our biggest worry will be keeping our tires connected to the pavement. So our media team is working on contacting more sources through short personal testimonies from the team with the theme of empowerment, and I thought it would be any easy thing to share. (basically this is a preview of what I will say when Oprah asks me to be on her show).

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

There seem to be a lot of moments in life when I wonder if I am really where I am supposed to be. I wonder if I am working towards something useful, if the effort I’m putting in is really worth my while or anyone else’s for that matter. If anyone cares. What’s the point of it all? Maybe it’s just part of being in college, or just part of growing up, or just part of my personality, but my best guess is that everyone has those days. You know those days where you just can’t seem to do anything right and it seems like it might be a sign to just give up. I get tired sometimes.

That may sound like the opposite of empowerment, but I think it’s something that chronically ill people deal with more often than the average person. And it’s not just your run of the mill depression. Something I’ve learned is that doctors can come up with all kinds of fancy names for your problems, but it doesn’t matter really if they can’t fix it. And something else that I’m still trying to grasp is that doctors don’t know everything, and hospitals aren’t a safe zone. That life doesn’t really have any safe zones at all and any one of us could be knocked down at any second.

Riding with my teammates from Texas 4000 gives me power. It gives me power to know that if there is someone out there who is struggling tonight, they can think about what we are doing. And even if that single thought only distracts them from the pain for a split second, the whole 4800 miles will be worth it.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

I know my updates have been lacking since then, but I promise to catch you all up soon! I have so much to share.