Day 7 (Part 2)

Joy, Louis and Belle Appreciation Post

May 19 - 0km (Part 2/2)

I had written my reflections at the Tim Horton’s after talking to Jon, not expecting much more to be happening for the day. The plan was to get to a motel, align my bike chain and fully pump my tubes.

Again, things didn’t go so simply.

It was a 1.6km walk and I was STRUGGLING. With one hand, I was carrying maybe 100lbs of weight in my hockey bag while guiding my bike with my other hand. I was really questioning how I was going to get there, when suddenly, a white pickup pulled up to me. A woman - or rather, an angel - called out and asked if I needed help. Her name was Joy, and she offered me a place to stay for the night (and more importantly, take a shower!) because she saw me struggling.

Joy took me back to her place and introduced me to her husband Louis (and dog, Belle). These were genuinely some of the kindest people I have ever met. I felt like I was with family and I had only just met these people!

They let me take a shower, and let me tell you something: after many cold days on the road, I’m never taking a warm shower for granted. Afterwards, Louis actually found someone in the area who could do bike servicing, and his name was Bob. Louis drove us to Bob’s garage and he serviced my bike for free (even though I came in after 9pm on a weekend night). I think Bob was amused that I was undertaking this journey with no training or real preparation.

Afterwards, we got home, and they fed me a gourmet meal and let me wash my clothes. After getting to know them better, I realized that these were special people. It may sound corny, but they really inspired me to go out of my way to be a better person.