Winding down, packing up

   Caught the bus from Kilrush to Limerick with a bus change in Ennis.  It was a Chinese fire drill getting the bicycle fit into the bus' luggage compartment.  Once in Limerick, I navigated to the hostel I had booked, dropped off the gear and hit the town.  Lunch and all that followed an amble through a twelth century church under restoration and then off to see King John's castle.  

      I finally was able to connect with Airbnb people I stayed with when I arrived. My luggage was stored at their house and they were away on holiday.  Their neighbor let me in so I could retrieve my bike case other related luggage.  A taxi driver stuffed me, the luggage and the bike into his Prius.  With the hatch open, he drove me back to my digs.  After dinner the bike disassembly commenced.  There must be an easier way to ship my bike but the airlines are brutally expensive when it comes to extra and oversized luggage.   

      I need to get home but would also like to keep riding. Ireland wasn't easy but it was well worth the effort. Why do I put these challenges in front of me? As a driven, task oriented person, it feels good to do something difficult which is worth doing; a challenge that validates my existence. As Teddy Roosevelt said, "it is not the critic who counts but the man in the arena....". Most people don't have the courage to get out there and really live their lives. I am fortunate enough to able to live much closer to the edge than most people.  Life is much shorter than you think, so saying you will do whatever it is you want to do "someday"  is a lame excuse for not having the courage enough to get off the mark. I plan and execute and don't waste what precious time I have left on earth dreaming about my dreams.