It’s December 31st, tomorrow morning I put up my
new calendar and attempt to make good on the ambitions I have for 2014. A recent viewing of High Fidelity
and my own typical end-of-the-year nostalgia have caused me to take some time
and write about my Top 5 Moments of 2013. So here they are, my most memorable
moments from 2013 (in no particular order)
Crossing the Finish
Line at the Door County Century
I had trained all summer for my first 100-mile ride. This
included riding from my apartment in Eau Claire to Menomonee and back in 100°+ weather, almost making
myself vomit doing sprint intervals, and, according to some calculations and a
bit of guess work, riding close to 3,000 miles (the equivalent of a coast to
coast trip across the United States).
On September 8th I completed the Door County
Century in 6 hours and 17 minutes of ride time with few breaks for food and
water. The entire ride was an overwhelming experience: close to 2,000 cyclists
participated in the event including some large cycling clubs that rode in
groups so large and so close together it sounded much like a semi coming up
behind you. Around mile 80 I fell in with a group of riders raising money for
the American Cancer Society, which was particularly poignant because my father
was going through chemotherapy and had just lost his hair and mustache (that
weekend was the first time he had a bare upper lip in 35 years).
As I passed under the archway demarcating the finish line I
was overwhelmed by exhaustion and emotion, unable to speak or hold back tears.
My parents met me at the finish line, took pictures, congratulated me on the
achievement, and celebrated with me by eating an Italian dinner and drinking
craft beer. This will undoubtedly be a moment I proudly and fondly look back on
for the rest of my life.
Taco Tuesdays
Every Tuesday night I have the honor and delight of sharing
tacos with my friend and Pastor Perry Polnaszek and his family. There’s a lot
going on here that makes each and every Tuesday one of my best memories from
2013. Tacos are the favorite food of Perry’s son, Will, who typically eats
around a dozen tacos each Tuesday night. During dinner we go around the table
and share “Roses and Thorns”, everyone gets to share one good thing and one bad
thing that happened to them that day. Then after dinner we spend time together,
killing zombies in Call of Duty, watching Marvel’s Agents of S.H.E.I.L.D., or
conquering and creating the digital world in Minecraft.
Tuesdays have taught me how to belong, to be comfortable being loved and my presence being
appreciated and anticipated. Tuesday nights have brought a lot of healing to a
heart that has felt orphaned for a long time.
Thanksgiving with the
Polnaszeks and Johnny B
It’s always interesting when our “separate” worlds collide.
It me happened when I brought a man from my “coffee-shop ministry” to my
pastor’s family Thanksgiving dinner.
I have been a friend to a man named John B. Goode for
several years after meeting him at a coffee shop we both frequented. I help
John out by giving him rides to run errands, a few dollars for coffee or
cigarettes, or by covering his tab at lunch. In return, John shares his love
for Marvel comic books with me, even giving me some of his most valued issues
to take home and read.
John is a recovering addict from Tucson who moved to
Wisconsin to sober up and stay clean over 15 years ago. As a result, he does
not have family in the area to celebrate holidays with and I asked my friend
and pastor Perry Polnaszek if John and I could join his family for Thanksgiving
dinner. Despite my anxiety it was an amazing time. John said it was his first
“real” Thanksgiving dinner in 7 or 8 years and is still thanking Perry and me for
it to this day.
Bluegrass Worship
Over the years I have played with A LOT of worship bands but
have always acted as a support: playing bass, running sound, and setting
up/tearing down equipment. In the final months of 2013 I was asked to co-lead
worship at my church once a month with my friend Jordan Smith. This was (and
still is) something that is WAY out of my comfort zone. I had become quite
comfortable just showing up on Sunday mornings with my bass, plugging in, and
playing. In November I decided to make a longstanding dream a reality: a
bluegrass worship set. I had to call in some help: my roommate, Gabe Larson,
joined us to play guitar and sing and my friend Johnny Wojick came with his
tenor banjo, mandolin, and penny whistle. It was a great time and I don’t feel
as though I led by myself, I just had the idea and asked others to collaborate
with me. The music was well
received by the congregation and we’ve been asked to play again by several
people.
The Great Spring
Break Ice Fishing Debacle
My friend John Thornton and I share a love for ice fishing.
So, when I had a break from my Pre-Med classes in March we decided that we
NEEDED to go out on the ice and try to catch some pan fish with our friend
Jordan Smith.
The day was windy and ill fated. We broke our shanty, the
auger wouldn’t start, and the truck got stuck. We returned home without even getting
a line wet. However, we still had several hours without any commitments, a ton
of junk food, and each other’s company. The rest of the day was spent watching
Step Brothers and episodes of South Park, cracking jokes, and taking naps in
John’s living room.
Bonus “Memory”:
Fixies and the Super Moon
This one didn’t technically make the Top 5 because I don’t
remember a lot of it.
It was June 23rd, and the moon was the closest it
would be to the earth in many years. The cooler temperatures of the evening
were a welcome respite from the summer heat and the skies were clear allowing
us to see the moon in its full glory. I rode my bike around the city of Eau
Claire with my roommate Gabe and our friend Colin. We made stops at local parks
to climb trees, talk about women, and sip on bourbon. As we returned home
around 2am we decided to have a bit of a race. I elected to take a bike path
that would only be illuminated by the lamp I have attached to my handlebars. At
some point near the end of our ride I hit a patch of sand, hit the ground with
a pedal (a particularly bad even when riding a fixed gear bike), and crashed.
The result was about 3 hours completely erased from my memory, scrapes and
bruises on my left arm, a bent pedal, a cracked helmet, and a missing watch. Moral
of the story: ALWAYS WEAR A HELMET and never try to race bikes in the dark.
