Marriage lessons from a really long bike ride

By Lavern Nissley, Tuesday@10:10 blog post

This past Saturday, October 10, Ronda and I set out on a challenging journey with her sister and brother in law from Cincinnati. It was a century ride - 100 miles - us on our tandem recumbent bicycle and them on faster, more nimble road bikes.

This was our 5th ride of this length, an annual ritual we've achieved since 2011. The weather was gorgeous, and none of us experienced any tire flats or mechanical problems.

But, oh the impact on our muscles and posteriors! You don't peddle for almost 9 hours without experiencing discomfort! But in the midst of the pain we saw the challenge as a metaphor for marriages that go the distance. Here are a several connecting points:

• A journey of this length takes commitment and persistence from BOTH. We are an "US". We likely won't make it if one person just decides to stop peddling and coasts.
• The trip is best accomplished by breaking it into incremental segments rather than all at once. Cincinnati to Loveland. Loveland to Morrow. Morrow to Corbin. Corbin to Spring Valley. And back. In marriage it is, "We can do it. We can make it through today, this week, this month."
• Even small stretch breaks can provide refreshment and new energy. Not only did we find this helpful on the century ride, we also see this in our marriage. Small getaways for just the two of us to catch our breath. Date nights, long weekends and breaks from the daily exertion and tedium are wonderful!
• Frequent water and food keeps our bodies hydrated and energized. There is no way we could have covered 100 miles without these basic necessities. Neither can we overlook the elements that energize our marriages: kindness, appreciation, honesty, openness, empathy, "love tank" deposits or forgiveness.

So, completing a 100 mile bike ride is quite a bit like celebrating a 60+ year marriage. Daunting? Yes. Painful? Yes. Worth it? Yes!! Would we do it all over again? Absolutely!!!
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But in the midst of the pain we saw the challenge as a metaphor for marriages that go the distance.