I did my first endurance race this year. And while it was really fun and I have TONS of great memories and stories from that day, do you know what I also have?
Even more great memories and stories from all the training rides I had to do to achieve that goal of finishing the actual race.
Like the day I was supposed to do an out-and-back on the trail, and got bored and just rode home instead of back to the parking lot. We rode through the "downtown" area (just a post office and hardware store, really), passed by the local winery, and along the train tracks. Lots of fun!
And then the day I went into the nearby "big city" and did the 7 mile loop around the lake. I hadn't been there in years and it was so fun to do it again.
Or the day I did the most popular trail section and trotted the whole trail, breezing past big groups of trail riders while playing dramatic soundtrack music on my phone.
Or getting together with friends and just racing along for a few miles, laughing and enjoying the horses.
The race comes for a weekend and is over, but the conditioning rides will continue.
We published more books this year. I can't believe Sarah and I wrote and published an entire series. How cool is that?? Even better than release day, though, are the memories made during the journey.
Getting our "dis"sertations from Mars Evan, and the laughter and merriment that ensues.
Talking with Sarah over the phone and getting way too excited about a character or plot thread we just came up with or figured out.
Writing or editing a scene and just...GRINNING SO HARD BECAUSE IT'S PERFECT.
"Journey before destination" is one of the core statements of the Knights Radiant order in the Stormlight Archives. SA is a series I read this year, and really enjoyed it and highly recommend it.
But journey before destination really hit me, because I feel it. I have done a lot of journeying this year. A lot of my goals have been made, but in other ways, I'm still travelling. I'm still journeying, and haven't quite reached my destination yet.
If the journey lasts longer than you expected, don't give up. After all, it's not the destination that changes you, it's the journey you take along the way.
It's nearing the end of 2021. A lot of us are looking at the goals we had, and some of those goals...they haven't been reached yet. Some might have been tossed out the window completely. We're not where we expected ourselves to be a year ago, for good or for bad.
I'm here to tell you: embrace the journey, no matter how long or hard it is. Look back and see how you've grown. See what has changed. See what progress, however big or small, you've made, and be proud.
Dare to dream big for next year. Dare to try something new. Dare to challenge yourself, push yourself. And accept the journey laid before you.
Journey before destination, y'all.
