Best Laid Plans…

This is not exactly how my cycling journey was intended to end.  About ¼ into the ride, over three weeks ago, I received word of a family medial emergency at home, which required my presence.

So, with no advanced planning, I had to cycle to the next city that had the Shinkansen (high speed train), doing two hilly days of cycling in one day, then I got my bike box shipped up to me, which was waiting for me at my last hotel, and then I booked the first available flight home.

Things at home are fine now, but the cycling trip could not be completed, which is disappointing, but under the circumstances, it was simply not possible.   Whether I finish it at a later date is still a question mark.

Abandoning a goal that I set (especially one with so much planning invested) is not something I do very often, so this has been a particularly poignant experience that I’ve had to accept.   Life is a constant surprise, and making tough adjustments along the way is an important part.

My wife, Alison, had planned on coming to Japan at the end of my trip, and we decided to keep those plans, so we’ve returned for 18 days; though, there won’t be any cycling, unless you count riding upright city bikes with baskets on the front, like the photo of me in Kyoto yesterday.

~ by Robert on September 26, 2013.