I’ve started and finished this blog post a few times. I wrote it will riding my bike on Saturday. Then I wrote it again while watching cyclo-cross racing on Sunday and then again on Monday while eating lunch.

None of the words ever made it to the page though. I wrote and rewrote this post over and over again in my head. Sometimes the best ideas and writing happen for me when I’m fully relaxed and my mind is open to possibility.

This is not uncommon. There are numerous articles and books about the connection between walking and creativity. Stuck on a problem? Get outside and go for a walk. For me the walk is a bike ride or sitting outside with Calvin the cat.

In this time of constant information bombardment, finding time to let the mind stop processing information and so can it wander is incredibly important.

I can sum up the weekend with one word: people.

I had a fulfilling conversation with a man who had his colon removed five months ago. I was the first person with an ileostomy, like him, that he’d ever spoken to. It’s a special feeling to be able to help and reassure someone.

I think that one of the best ways for me to do good with my second chance at life is to be there for others who are living with ulcerative colitis or ileostomies. This human connection when you’re struggling or just need a person who understands is so incredibly important.

They say never meet your heroes, but for me, Friday night was all gold. In fact it was Olympic gold and World Championship gold… Cassie Campbell-Pascall and Jennifer Botterill were the feature speakers at an Ottawa Writer’s Festival event titled Game Changers.

Moderated by the one-and-only Kenzie Lalonde, this was an evening of trailblazing, empowerment, and backing yourself. Cassie and Jennifer have both recently published memoirs about their lives in and around hockey.

Two take-aways from the night: Why Not You? and Believe You Belong.

I haven’t finished reading both books but I recommend buying Just A Girl: A Memoir by Cassie Campbell-Pascall and Why Not You: My Story of Perseverance, Hockey, and Olympic Gold by Jennifer Botterill. You can watch the recording of the event on YouTube.

I shifted gears on Sunday from the ice rink to cyclo-cross. What a great day it was out at Long Sault watching people race in the Eastern Ontario Cyclo-Cross Series. It’s super motivating and encouraging to see people of all ages, skill, and experience levels out there racing and having fun.

It was a treat to catch-up with so many people and to experience the camaraderie of the Ottawa cyclo-cross community. There really is nothing like this anywhere else.

For a minute I actually thought about racing next week! But then I remembered how hard cyclo-cross is….

My cup was very full by Sunday evening. I count myself very lucky to be connected with and surrounded by so many fabulous people.

This is something I’ve recently learned we can’t take for granted. You never know when things will change.

Make time for your people. Be there for your friends and family. Be patient with strangers and acquaintances, you don’t know what they’re dealing with.