40 Years in the Desert

After baptism, Jesus went into the desert for 40 days and nights. During this time, Satan appeared to Jesus and tried to tempt him. Jesus refused each temptation and returned to Galilee.

Sunday our family returned to church and the story of Jesus' 40 days and nights in the Judean Desert featured prominently. I really liked how the priest connected the story with his homily and talked about traveling in the desert wilderness; though the desert has many treasures, the earth is stripped bare and only the hardiest of life can survive. Being out there is also a great way to pull away from the distractions of day-to-day life.

When you're in the desert wilderness, there is often no cellphone coverage, no cable TV, and no wi-fi. There is only you, the elements and the need to survive. Better find shade. Have your water. Bundle up at night. Check your boots in the morning for critters.

Spending time in the desert can be a great way to obtain clear your mind. Just thinking about being in the desert during church had me mentally tabulating all the ways I could simplify my life by just getting rid of stuff.

The clear thinking that comes with the desert also is a big reason for the Puget-2-Potomac. I'm going to be on the road for about 3 weeks with intermittent periods of civilization; staying in hotels and visiting with folks. In-between, I'll have plenty of time to consider my place in the cosmos. And that's pretty much the sub-context for the trip.

Celebrity Ride

Yesterday I decided to up my game and transformed the ride into a celebrity ride.

I invited the following celebrities to join me on the Puget2Potomac ride: Foo Fighters, Steve Martin, Chris Pratt and Zooey Deschanel.

I'm still waiting on their responses.

Irrational Thoughts

Did I ever tell you about the victory chair?

Brown distressed leather. Sits just off-centered from the white-noise buzzing TV (that's another story). Very cozy. When you sit, you sink just enough. The arms are nicely padded so you never feel the wood frame underneath and it's perfect for balancing a plate of food or a couple of the remotes. But don't ever put your drink on it--it's leather for crying out loud.

But why am I telling you this? The victory chair is my Throne of the Home. You've got one, right?

The victory chair is also the central source of power for The Ohio State University's national championship. It also served the same purpose for the Seattle Seahawks. And for the past four months, I have willed every victory for both teams--every conceivable 'how did they do that' play. When my Buckeyes lost to those woeful Hokies from Virginia Tech this season, I had not been butt-in-seat at the start of the game. For the remaining games, the victory chair was in play, and the game played uninterrupted on the TV. Dallas beat the Seahawks this year because during halftime, Robby and I played a little Halo. My fault.

It's more than just the chair though. In order for the victory chair to be completely in sync with the universe, I need to be sitting in it for the kick-off sans team gear--especially the championship gear. The day before the Super Bowl, I tempted fate by wearing my commemorative shirt and hat from last year's Seahawks Super Bowl win. That clearly was a mistake for which I take full blame on behalf of the entire Pacific Northwest. I should never have done that and I apologize.

Also no parties--parties disrupt the Source of Power. It's critical that my family be with me for the game, and. No. One. Else. Yesterday, a friend of one of the kids pierced the Source of Power by visiting us during the Game, so we lost. I blame her.

There was also a direct correlation between the ability of Seahawks to make plays the second half of the season and the intensity of the blaze in the fireplace. That's right, each time they faltered, I placed another log on the fire.

It all comes down to my irrational thoughts and behaviors, right?

When planning for a coast-to-coast ride, little irrational thinking also comes into play. A big part of my planning is not so much about style or comfort, but asking the "what if" questions.

• What if the bike gets a flat tire? Use the patch kit.
• What if the bike breaks down? Call AAA.
• What if I need to stop for the night and sleep? Pack the tent and sleeping bag.

I've been asking a lot of "what if" questions the past 6 months as I plan this trip. A little irrational thinking never hurts.