I'm not the type of person to write blog posts, nor am I the person to elaborate a story pointlessly, but I'm going to do my best to tell my stories from biking across the country. Because of my nature, I'm going to be straightforward, probably fill my posts full of lists, and hopefully some humor, too. This first post (besides helping me get a feel for blogging) is about who I am and why I'm choosing to bike the US for MS.
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First. Who am I?
The easiest answer is that I'm a 21 year old college student studying mathematics and economics at UNCW. However, I think people deserve to see deeper than that, especially if you're going to help by donating money to the cause I'm riding for. If we dig a little deeper into my being (without getting scary deep) we can see that I'm a believer in God and the good that is inherently in all people. Yes, everybody has rough patches in their lives. Yes, people can seem rude or abrasive. However, I've been on the "good side" of kindness and it made me happy. Being shown compassion and kindness will give that warm feeling inside, but it's not this feeling that makes me who I am. It's the feeling that accompanies giving that to others.
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I've spent years thinking I was happy because I had people who loved me, but that's not solely it. I was happy because I loved people. I love seeing people grow, watching them learn, and smiling when they smile. I found this in a bible verse when I was at a low point in my life. The bible verse was John 14:27. "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." It really hit home to me, so I wrote it up on my calendar to look at every day. I read this verse every morning until my mind started to really analyze why I loved it to much. One morning I read the third sentence out loud to myself and finally understood. I do not give to you as the world gives you. I know it's not in context this way and some of you reading might not be religious, but I realized what seemed earth shattering to me at the time. The world can give you happiness, but it can also choose not to give it to you. The happiness that you can rely on comes from yourself. Making someone else's day always makes you feel happier than if they did the same for you.
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I'm hoping those who read this understand a little bit more about me (and feel strangely generous). These reasons are why I've decided to give myself and everything I have for this charity. I cannot wait to find my true happiness and give myself to the cause of making others happy.
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Unfortunately, I need to shamelessly plug donations into the end of this post, but hopefully I can give you a reason to do so. I know that spending your money is hard when you do not see all the benefits from the money. I am an economics major... However, your donation is going to go to such a great cause and I promise that I will show you every single way your donations have made a difference in, not only my life, but the lives of people who could use it much more than me. The link to my cyclist page to donate is:
I'm not concerned with how much you can give or even what you can give (prayers and letters). I love all of the support I have received and I can't wait to show you guys what you have helped me achieve.
