Back home ...

When I signed up for this ride late last year, I really had not thought the whole thing through. When I bought the tickets on 28 February 2008, I had only an inkling of what this event was going to require.

The months progressed and the ride rapidly approached. The details came together (love that ADHD-driven hyper-focus) and the training reached a head. The bike was boxed up and my bags were packed. Now all I had to do was start the ride.

Now that I have completed the ride, the trip and the journey back home, here is where I am:

Physically

I left for Israel at a weight my scale had not seen since Elaine was pregnant with my eldest (1994) and returned from the ride at a weight I had not been since after our honeymoon. All in all I lost 20 pounds during my training and another 7 during the ride.

My cholesterol went down 43 points between July 2008 and November 2008. HDLs up. LDLs down. Cardiologist happy.

Excercise is no longer something I do, it is part of how I live.

Politically

I left Atlanta with a view of the Middle East skewed by my education and the media. While in Israel, I met and spent time with Israeli soldiers, alumni and current students at Arava (Israelis, Palestinians, Jordanians, Egyptians, Canadians, Brits, Americans; Jews, Muslims, Christians), taxi drivers and Orthodox Jews by the Western Wall.

One can not legislate peace, only non-aggression. Peace comes from inside the citizenry. It comes from the people who want more balance, crave sustainability (social and environmental) and who plan with future generations in mind.

Those are the very people I met. They are the ones that will change the political landscape of the Middle East from the inside out - despite the best efforts of the political "leadership."

Yes, change from the inside takes longer. But it is the only change that is lasting.

I am more confident than ever that things can - and will - change for the better.

Emotionally

Judaism is almost 6,000 years old. We are a hearty, resilient and stubborn people. Israel makes the millennia of our history tangible. You can see it, hear it, touch it, taste it, smell it ... and feel it everywhere. The connection with that history, with our history, with our faith is powerful.

It is impossible to spend any time in Israel without being changed. I was at 15 and I am again at 43.

I am more connected to my faith and my culture than ever before.

Psychologically

Through most of my training, I was doubtful about my ability to complete the ride. It was not so much the potential physical limitation. I held a limiting belief that the distance and the terrain were beyond what I could handle.

On Wednesday, 12 November 2008 at 5:30am we were wheels up. I let go. I stopped over-thinking and over-analyzing. I just rode.

I watched the road. I took in my surroundings. I talked to the other riders. I felt the bike. I paid attention to my body. I let my mind go.

That made all the difference.

I am in touch with my strength again.

The Lasting Effect:

I planned. I trained. I soared. I learned about myself. I pushed my limits. I reached my perceived limits, far exceeded them, and found that my true limits were even beyond what I accomplished. Once I let go, nothing could hold me back.

Bringing that freedom home. Bringing that power home. Bringing that strength home. That is the lasting effect of this ride.

I am, as the saying goes, Dancing in the Moment.

Thanks for reading ...

David Taylor-Klaus
Team Atlanta