Like Another Country

This weekend I was the speaker for an extreme pathfinder biking trip. We biked all day Sabbath, around Walla Walla in the morning and after lunch headed to the Blue Mountains. At the top of the ridge, all forty of us lined up for a jumping picture. As we stood there looking off the edge into a valley, we saw elk lined up along a distant ridge. Incredible! We biked through the mud and the snow, howled over jumps, jammed over logs, got dehydrated, and had a few flats and a couple broken chains, but nothing serious. I asked my good, good, best friend Emily if she would keep me company on this crazy trip. I agreed to speak for the trip ignoring the fact that I hadn't been at the top of my game lately (who was I kidding? God knows), and Emily was AWESOME and drove all the way from Spokane to come with me. We made some SUPER cool friends, met some awesome ENERGETIC kids, saw the most BEAUTIFUL places in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. I felt like I was in a different country... out of my own element. Hanging out with people I didn't know, doing an activity I'm not good at, seeing places I've never seen, breathing a different kind of air. SO ALIVE! I feel like I could be addicted to a sport like this. 

We got back this morning, time to face reality ... a huge pile of books on my right, my to-do list on my left, some waterproof mascara in case I fall down. It's tough being back. I wish I could spend the week in another country.