Tuesday a.m.

Heading to Washington Co.

Good morning! I'm up a little earlier than usual today. I went to bed a little earlier, hoping to sleep a little longer, but my body thinks I only need 7 hours. I keep telling it that I want more, but after 7 hours it wakes up and says, "let's go." So up I get. You would think my endurance training would require more sleep. That's what I keep telling it, but it won't listen. It is true that exercise, for me and most (I think), does not diminish energy overall but increases it. It's a myth that exercise robs you of energy for other things; just the opposite.

Yesterday got started off busy and pretty much stayed that way. My usual practice is to find some time early on Monday to make The List for the week. The List is hand-written and contains all the things that I need/want to do, including people I need to see. There are some things that I don't always get to, so they are carried over to the next list. The List got made quite a bit later than usual yesterday. That's quite alright. It still got made.

I started doing some reading in narrative leadership yesterday. I love narrative theology and do my best to live it, practice it, teach it. The Alban Institute is a great resource. I have read several of their publications over the years, and now I am reading 4-5 of their books on narrative leadership. Just got started last night. The idea is to move into a better story, to keep improving your story, acknowledging your mistakes and flaws, telling the truth about yourself, etc. That section of my story might be several volumes. ha ha

Tonight is Pace Line Tuesday! We are in the latter stages of this weekly gathering, so I don't know how many will show up tonight. We have averaged around 10 per week for the summer. We roll out of our church parking lot at 5:45, heading to the Washington county line, which is about 17 miles away. Then we line up or time trial back to the edge of Orleans. That segment on 337 is exactly 10 miles. After we regroup we cool down by riding easy back to Mitchell. The total mileage is around 36, 37 miles. It is a nice, enjoyable workout. Following the ride, most of head to Wendy's to refuel and tell stories.

OK, here we go...