I choose to go to the moon

Here in Boston last week, the Boston Pops orchestra performed “The Dream Lives On: A Portrait of the Kennedy Brothers”.  It featured Robert Deniro, Morgan Freeman, and Ed Harris reading speeches by Jack, Bobby, and Ted Kennedy, set to music performed by the Boston Pops. 

While driving back from picking up a Crateworks bike box that I purchased from someone on CraisgList (more to come on this recent development), I heard some media coverage of the event on NPR.  During the story, they played an excerpt of JFK's "We Choose to go to the Moon" speech.



Although I have heard it before, on this day I was particularly moved by the part where JFK says "We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard...”  I couldn't help but think about my goal of riding in Paris-Brest-Paris, and the seemingly never answered question of why.

Sure, I like to ride my bike, but why ride when it hurts?  Why ride to the point of exhaustion?  Why ride in the rain and the cold?  I guess I choose to do these things because they are hard.

It's been interesting to think about what exactly my motivations are for this craziness.  I suppose I feel there is value in trying to accomplish something that is not easy.  Hard work is good, and it's important to strive for something, right?  We don't want to just waltz through live, do we?

Other than my lovely wife Jane, who is number one of course, there are two main focal points of my life right now – cycling and my ceramic art work.  Both provide excellent challenges.

Instead of riding all these miles on the bike, I suppose I could really apply myself and become a great artist, maybe.  However, this is harder than riding, and I am at heart a lazy person.  Riding is just brute force.   It requires no thought.  Making great art is infinitely harder.  Maybe that will be my next challenge.

Knee Update:
My knee feels fine most of the time.  I rode 20 miles over the weekend, and could feel it talking to me a little bit.  This weekend, Chuck and I are going to ride 100 miles to Cape Cod, leaving at 9PM.  I can't wait to try out my new light and generator hub setup!  Hopefully the knee won't get in the way.