Putting One Foot In Front Of The Other

My husband and I are again training for the annual bicycle ride across Iowa that happens each July. This will be our fourth RAGBRAI (Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa) together on our tandem bicycle.

The ride starts on a Sunday on the west edge of the state, and the route winds us through Iowa all week long until we arrive at the east edge the following Saturday. The route changes every year and so do the number of miles. This year’s route is 402.7 miles long.

In a week. On a bicycle seat. Camping in a tent each night.

Crazy, I know.

The 402 miles sounds a bit daunting doesn’t it? It’s largeness looms over me. I’ve experienced, however, by just putting one foot in front of the other all week long takes my husband and I to the finish line.

So, here we are, in the early stages of our training. The ride begins in 79 days. Gulp.

We are nowhere ready for this trek across the state. We have lots of work to do and a lot of training ahead of us. Many of our upcoming evenings and weekends will be spent out on the trails and in organized rides. During the months of June and July it seems we eat, sleep, function around bicycling. It nearly becomes our life for that window of time.

At times it overwhelms me when I think about it too long, or when I look at the big picture for any length of time.

I just need to see the next step.

I can handle the next step. The next step is much less overwhelming than projecting myself to where I need to be 79 days from now. Our next step is our next training ride in two days. Piece of cake.

This reminds me of the proverb about eating an elephant.

“How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.”

Eating an elephant whole is impossible (and it would give us severe indigestion, by the way). But, it could be done with one small bite after another.

It’s like putting one foot in front of the other.

One next step at a time.

Friend, where do you find yourself today? Are you overwhelmed with the big picture? Does the problem, the task, the goal, the project seem too enormous at the moment? So much so that it’s nearly paralyzing?

Bring your view back down. Look at what’s smaller. What’s the very first step you can take to move forward? What’s the next thing you can do that will take you one step closer to the finish? Begin to walk it out, putting one foot in front of the other. And, before you know it, you’ll see the picture shrink down to a realistic size as you continue moving ahead.

Friend, you’ve got this. You can do this. Continue putting one foot in front of the other.

I’ll be doing the same over here on our tandem.

Thanks for hanging out with me for a short time today. Glad we can walk this out together!

Blessings,

Julie

 

 

Linking up with friends Suzie and Crystal.