Let's get one thing straight. I am not a triathlete. I like to go for a swim, ride a mountain bike with big fat and very slow tires, and then go for a jog. Not triathlete material.
As I was struggling yesterday in the bike portion of the Spring Sprint Triathlon at Mission Bay I was passed by a hollow-boned, muscle bound specimen of a young man who glanced at my current condition and said, "Go Team Chelsea". He must have seen my Chelsea Tri top.
At the time he said it, I was being passed more frequently than a road sign. He probably heard my labored breathing as he spun past me on one of the bicycles that had metal disks for wheels. The kind you could only afford if you sold a couple homes and of course had no kids!
It made me pause mentally. Of course, I kept pushing on those pedals, but it made me think of Chelsea, her family and all the countless volunteers that have stepped up to keep her memory alive and to improve our world. Wow. My pain seemed so weak and unimportant.
That bicyclist likely has no idea how those three words filled my thoughts all afternoon. It is the power of speech, and showing care for another person or goal. Which brings me to the countless people who helped put the Chelsea's Light Foundation and other not for profit events together. You are truly amazing people. Don't stop trying to change or improve the world. Your efforts do really make a difference.
