Note: To read all the lessons, click on the category: Making Big Things Happen

I am so grateful for all the lessons I learned on the Tillie Ride.  I was learning the same lessons you were.  It’s easy to talk about things like pacing yourself, but hard to put them into practice.  As I look over all the wonderful and not-so-wonderful things that happened, two really stand out.

The students and teachers–in other words, you!  Every single one of you.

I am grateful for how welcome you made me feel

I am grateful for my team

I am grateful to my mom and dad for coming to cheer me on!

I am grateful to teachers for introducing the lessons in a creative way and taking time out of their packed schedules to engage students in the ride

I am grateful that we didn’t get lost

I am grateful to my husband for coming with me and planning the route. I am grateful that–at 50–we are healthy enough to have this big adventure. I am grateful it didn’t rain too much

I am grateful to this lady for inspiring the ride with her courage and strength

I am grateful to Alice and Terry–Tillie’s family–for being so enthusiastic and for helping us so much

I am grateful for your cards and notes of thanks and encouragement

Gratitude is more than just feeling thankful. It can help you move forward.

While I was training for the Tillie Ride, I would often get frustrated.  Maybe it was all the miles I was putting in on the bike.  I don’t know.  I found myself getting angry a lot.  A very wise friend told me to take the same subject and think about why I was grateful for that person or organization.   Here’s an example.  Maybe I was angry with Tillie the Terrible German Shepherd for running off when I let her outside to go to the bathroom.  Instead of yelling and stomping my foot while I was looking for her, I could think about why I was grateful to Tillie.  I’m grateful to Tillie because she makes me laugh.  I’m grateful for her soft fur.  I’m grateful that she protects me.  I’m grateful to come home and have her be so happy to see me.  It’s hard to be angry when you’re grateful.  Gratitude just melts it away.

Even cars that cut me off!  I can say, “Thank you for helping me to be present and take care of myself.”  (However, I still think they should be better behaved.)

Gratitude IS a tool.  But mostly, right now, for me, it’s just a feeling.  I am grateful for your youth, your energy, your spirit, your hopefulness.  When you share it with me, I feel young again.  I feel wonderful. I want to go out and make the world a better place.  The only thing that could make me more grateful than I am right now is hearing from you in the future about all the wonderful adventures you’ve had and the amazing things you’ve been able to do through hard work, practice and perseverance and sometimes just plain old stubbornness.

Don’t give up.  You can do it.  I believe in you!

I am grateful for each and every one of you

Note: To see all the lessons, click on the category: Making Big Things Happen

We are home!  We’ve done our laundry, washed our hair, and played with our dogs!  As I look over the notes and cards I’ve been getting from you, two more lessons come to mind that I would like to share with you.  (Also, I had a lot of time to think while I was riding my bicycle to Chicago.) I’m sure you and your teachers can think of many more lessons.

You can suggest them to me!

A woman named Marsha Sinetar taught me that: “A mentor is an artist of encouragement.”  When we learn to encourage others, we learn what we need from others when it is our turn to ask for help.  Encouraging others feels good.  Just like any skill in life, the more you practice the better you get at making others feel supported, valued and encouraged.  When I set out to do the Tillie Ride, I wanted to be a mentor to you by showing you that you could pick something very hard and accomplish it if you broke it down into smaller pieces.  I encouraged you by

1) giving you specific examples of ways I thought you could overcome the obstacles in your life

2) having faith in you

3) sharing my struggles

4) reminding you of your strengths

I’m so much older than you that I thought I knew a lot more about mentoring than you do.  But guess what?  I think you know as much or more than me because you mentored me all the way to Chicago.  You helped me pedal more than 260 miles! How did you do that?

1) By having faith in me

2) By cheering me on

3) By understanding my values and goals (your success and the success of my team!)

3) By showing me you had been listening to the lessons I gave you.  I knew that through your posters,  letters, questions and comments.  It made me feel like all the hard work was worth it!

Really good mentors are thoughtful listeners.  They ask good questions.  They provide encouragement and a safe place for you to come to express your doubts and fears.

You are really good mentors.  Here are some examples of what I’m talking about.

You expressed confidence in my abilities

You pictured me succeeding!

You sent encouraging emails:

You can do it! You are very nice and you came to our school in Allendale!!! It was really cool thinking that you were here and we got to meet you!! I hope you are having a fun and a good time! YOU CAN DO IT!!!! Keep think positive and you will have even a better time!

You showed me I was successful in mentoring you

You encouraged me in areas you knew I felt weak (my ability to ride as far as Chicago…my funny-looking hair)

You treated me with respect and listened to what I had to say

Knowing you put so much time into your encouraging posters gave me the energy to keep going!

What you did for me was so big and so important that it inspired my final lesson of the year: Gratitude.