20,000 miles later

Yesterday, on my bike ride home from work, my cycling odometer flipped to 20,000 miles. I was starting my climb up the overpass on Third St. as it leaves downtown over I-670. Seeing that big round number prompted me to consider just where I was in life at that moment and how I had gotten there. Perhaps it is my pre-40 life assessment, a milestone I'll hit early next year. Reflecting on 20,000 miles seems more appropriate since I earned every one of them. I'll hit 40 by simply showing up.

I started counting miles on August 1, 1998. I was living in Denver and working at KBDI public TV. I was finishing up a season of competitive dualthon races and I was also considering two job offers, ultimately choosing the Producer/Director job at WOSU that brought me to Columbus. Since then, most of those miles have been earned by commuting. I raced for two more seasons but since September of 2000, my miles have come from twice daily rides, a roundtrip that currently measures about 18 miles.

It occurred to me at that at the 20k mark, I was, in many ways, where I hoped to be in life. At that moment I was returning from Capital University where I participated in a planning meeting for a community radio station. Most of my adult life I have been involved with media activism and I have always wanted to be help build a community media institution. My involvement with public TV never brought me that satisfaction. And after starting a non-profit group to pursue running public access TV, only to see the effort die after the City failed to award a contract, I am feeling very optimistic about the chances for the radio station.

On top of that, I find myself in a satisfying career in online-learning and instructional technology at Columbus State. After escaping the dungeon of WOSU, I have been able to apply both technical and conceptual creativity in my work and I feel valued by my employer and peers.

I have two beautiful children who are growing into the smart, creative and inquisitive beings I hoped they would. My family life has had its ups and downs as all families do. But we are working to make our lives together nurturing to each other.

So, despite the abitrariness of the 20,000 miles, why not celebrate it? Despite all the problems in the world I feel compelled to fix, life is good.