Chicago Letter #12

Hermana Hoer & Hermana Mackley biking in the rain in downtown Chicago, Illinois.



Chicago Headlines:

SUPERBIKE GONE FOR GOOD!

Memorial services for SuperBike will be held on Friday, the 15th of July 2011. They will be held in the alley, next to the dumpster of 3455 W. Parker. SuperBike will be missed, and the city of Chicago will never be the same (because I have to ride a little dinky PurplePedal from now on...I'll survive). SuperBike suffered and squeaked - and looks as though it was hit by an SUV...I hope that the PurplePedal will serve Chicago as the timeless hero, SuperBike has.

STATS:

~Number of semis stuck under an overpass: 1 (one was enough - the driver got the whole cab and about 6 feet of his trailer stuck really well. The street was blocked off, with all sorts of officers and equipment - thank goodness bikes could still get through)
~ Hottest day: 96 degrees, or the day with 93 degrees and 60% humidity...yuck
~Number of trees that fell down in Chicago as a result of a ten minute storm: I can't count them all, there were too many. However...
~ Number of cars crunched in front of our apartment by one part of a tree: 3 (glad I don't have a car)
~ Most miles in one day: 16
~ Longest one way trip: 7.5 miles (on the day with 60% humidity and 93 degrees...I won't comment any more on that because I don't want to remember it)

My companion read me a quote from a General Conference talk this week. Elder Ballard quoted a woman in his talk, and she said: "I wish I had treasured the 'doing' a little bit more, and the 'getting it done' a little bit less."

I have thought a lot about that in the past week. It covers thoughts I have had for more than the past week, and feelings I've had for a long time. I don't want to look back on my life and feel that way. I don't want to look back on my mission and wish I had lived it more. At times, it's hard when I'm sweaty, hot, tired, sore, and hungry to enjoy what I am doing. But, at the end of the day, I cool off, relax, and eat, and then what do I have left? I have memories. Are they happy ones? Did I laugh at the crazy things that happened? Or, are they bitter memories? Empty ones?

We are not going to control our lives completely. However, we will control what we get out of life - on the small scale and large scale. Whether we're talking about what we get out of today, or what we get out of the past decade, it really is up to us. We can choose to love life and live where we are. Or, we can focus on the past or the future, sacrificing the experience of small, daily treasures.

I thought of Mosiah 3:19. I love that scripture for so many reasons. Today, it took on something different. Mosiah 3:19 speaks of becoming as a child: being humble and submissive. Something else kids are really good at is living. They live. They love. They enjoy. They experience. They live the ups and downs to the fullest, and keep the ups. I want to be more childlike in that way - so that when I look back on this day, this month, this mission, this year, this life, I can say I lived life. I can say, look at all I've taken from this. Look at all the wonderful things I experienced. I want to live life so that I look back and smile.

Don't miss out on the small things. Live every day. Experience every day.