Hello to everyone who is following my CMHA fundraising journey to 200kms, as well as to anyone new to my journey! Just as most pursuits do not follow a linear path, so be this one! The interesting thing here was that it was not my mental illnesses that altered my path, but the circumstances that can pop up in life! With permission received by the person involved, I will tell you the events that transpired, which has delayed my quest for 200kms! I am sharing these details not to make myself look good, but to put into perspective the challenges we can face when pursuing goals, but hey, if it encourages you to donate to my cause, I would not be disappointed. And please, if you find this motivating, help me spread the word to others, and I welcome them all to this fundraising website, and while here I also welcome you to tell me what exercise means to you in the forum!
So, it is Thursday, July 8th and I am looking to hit the road cycling on Saturday, but I have a big problem, a friend of mine who has serious mental and physical health challenges, had just been evicted from her apartment and was now living at the Salvation Army Centre of Hope, and had until the end of Friday to remove her stuff from her old apartment! I was nursing sore calves and right hamstring, and I knew if I helped her I would be at significant risk of worsening my injuries and putting my fundraiser in jeopardy! Because my fundraiser means a lot to me, I simply did not want to do it, I will be honest. I tried to help her find agencies to assist, but we could only come up with a very generous but insufficient $75 grant, but movers and a truck can be much, much more than that. The amount of anxiety I had while I pondered my next move was immense...could I leave her hanging with all her nice stuff so I could get out and ride Saturday? Was my fundraising more important than helping this friend who was overwhelmed by it all? It's tough to know if I made the right decision here, because one has to ask themselves if material possessions are worth damaging one's health? But, man it was a tough predicament, and so, help I did! I tried to work around my tight hamstring and tender calves, but we were left without a moving device, and so it was all moved by hand. Halfway through I was hobbling along as my hamstring tightened up. I tried to keep a good attitude for my friend, but the anxiety levels were huge and my disappointment ran high as I knew I would not be on my bicycle for a bit. Because of how jumbled the day went, we only managed to get half her things, and so, I went back yet again the following Saturday to remove the rest, my hamstring still sore! The amount of thanks I got from my friend was immense, and another friend stepped up huge to help us as well!
I have always believed in the value of making sacrifices for others, and I feel I could never live a life just about me. However, I have also always struggled with the dilemma of how little is too little and how much is too much, both with mental and physical sacrifices made for others. I was fortunate to come away with no serious muscle injuries, although I did a number on my back from not lifting properly while I tried to baby my hamstring. Thankfully though, I am almost completely recovered and am looking to get back out there today or tomorrow to resume my journey to 200kms! This delay will cause me to have to extend the duration of this pursuit and perhaps cover longer distances in my build up to 200kms, but I don't know, with how much in need my friend was, it is tough to see how I could have done things differently! Stay mentally strong everyone!