Day 9
May 21 - 55km
I was slow to get up because I did not want to go. I was leaving some stuff behind that Joy and Louis would be sending home for me (again, I can’t express my gratitude enough for this family). The housesitter left, and after saying bye to Belle I headed off with my improved set-up. I was left with an unexplained feeling of emptiness that I will elaborate on in the next post.
Jon was up ahead at Charlottetown and the aim was to catch up with him and camp for the night. He was waiting for me at a bustling diner. After talking about our running/biking for the day, we had really great discussions about numerous topics. Jon is a very intelligent and articulate guy, and he had a lot of experience and wisdom to glean from.
I realized the importance of journaling my experiences not just on a laptop screen, but on a physical notepad. It’s so easy to forget small but meaningful details on a journey so long as this. At the same time, I have difficulty finding the energy to do anything except bike, eat and sleep; however, Jon reminded me that it’s a worthwhile investment of my time.
We found a place to camp and Jon made me realize that I was not setting my tent stakes deep enough. We sat on the ground and had a bit of a community potluck (it was honestly him giving me some of his muffins and chips). While we were making peanut butter sandwiches, we continued our discussion. We talked about music, and I got some great recommendations from him.
One point of discussion that stuck out to me was my social media usage. It’s natural for humans to seek the approval of others, but to what extent do I do this? Even with this social media account? These are important questions I need to ask myself. On this trip where I should be focusing on biking, I find myself instinctively grabbing for my phone to get my dopamine fix. I need to work on this.
Anyways, we talked for a good while and I felt like we got to know each other a lot better. I’m glad we crossed paths. Jon is definitely an inspiration and he gave me even more confidence that I could make it to Victoria.