Meadow Wind
I did the unthinkable. I sold Meadow Wind. My 2010 Trek 1.1 Alpha series road bike that has pedaled no less than 20,000 miles around this country. Initially purchased for triathlons but soon after became a touring bike.
Meadow Wind got its name while I was biking the TransAmerica bicycle route with my dear friend, Snowy, in 2015. One night in our tent, I had a dream that I was riding a horse named Meadow Wind across a beautiful meadow in the summertime. I recounted my dream to Snowy the next morning and he said, “I think that’s supposed to be your bike’s name!”
Biking Zion’s scenic drive with Meadow Wind and my good friend, Christie Conway.
Meadow Wind and me? Oh we’ve been some places:
In 2015, we rode the TransAmerica bike route to the Underground Railroad bike route to NOLA. Essentially this is Oregon > Kentucky > Louisiana. We then took a three year hiatus because we were hit by a car in Utah.
In 2019, we rode from Utah > California > Oregon > Idaho. This was part of a grand hike and bike. I biked from Utah to the Pacific Crest Trail in California to hike 500 miles and then biked back.
In 2019, I also sold or gave away EVERYTHING I owned to live off my bike in an effort to overcome depression. No car, no apartment, no storage unit - just me and Meadow Wind! #BikeLife I called it; it lasted two years and it was AWESOME! As part of #BikeLife, we flew to Hawaii to cycle 300 miles around the Big Island. Then we returned to the mainland and biked from Los Angeles to Kansas via Joshua Tree National Park, Saguaro National Park, Carlsbad Caverns National Park, White Sands National Park, and Big Bend National Park. It was epic!
Lastly, we rode professionally for BE. We guided the Natchez Trace Scenic Byway, rode around the Grand Canyon, and operated BE solely off a bike for the first year of business. Oh how I miss the simple days!
Biking around Hawai’i with all of my possessions in January 2020. COVID-19 had just become a thing.
My decision to give Meadow Wind a new owner wasn’t too difficult although it took several years. We can all agree that it’s hard to part with sentimental items. Especially items that helped form your identity.
But the reality is, Meadow Wind hasn’t been ridden In three years and all of my future bike journeys require a gravel bike at the least and preferably a mountain bike. Furthermore, I do not plan on riding paved roads with my puppies; JoJo & Nells will 100% get hit by running in front of a car.
What are my future bike journeys? Well, I would love to:
Cycle the Cathedral Valley loop in Capitol Reef National Park.
Cycle Burr Trail from Boulder, UT to Lake Powell via Capitol Reef National Park.
Cycle the Rails to Trails scenic bike path across the entire country; it’s gravel.
Lastly, simply become better at mountain biking in my fave town of Salida.
My nephew, Luca, meeting me in New Orleans on the Gulf Coast in 2015.
Many people aspire to declutter their homes but find it difficult to say goodbye to sentimental things. Trust me, I get it 100%. Thus, I encourage you to practice a few of my favorite strategies:
If an item brought you substantial joy at one point in your life but you no longer use it, let someone else enjoy it like you once did. Let the lifespan of that object be lengthened by another. It’s a win-win-win situation. You win by decluttering. Someone else wins because they received something they’ll enjoy AND use. The item wins because it’s no longer collecting dust. In fact, the item is going to do what it was designed to do.
Let go of the notion that ridding an item is ridding memories. You will always have those memories and if you are afraid of forgetting those memories, take a picture of object to revisit and reminisce. I think you’ll eventually find that you don’t even need the picture to remember awesome times!
If you’re concerned you’ll regret your decision, place the item on consignment. This is EXACTLY what I did with Meadow Wind. Meadow Wind didn’t deserve a dumpster and I wanted the bike to go to someone who would truly use it. So I placed it on consignment at an outdoor store in Gunnison, CO. If Meadow Wind doesn’t sell in 90 days, I have the opportunity to take it back. That’s a great option if I regret my decision in 90 days. At this point, I am fine.
Finally, ponder the concept that by ridding an unused object, you are making space for what is to come in the future. It is true when they say, “the things you own, end up owning you.” Everything you own, you must provide space for; you must somehow care for; you must somehow work for. Many people seek more freedom. Freedom is had by having little to zero ties. Possessions are in fact ties.
Meadow Wind and me peeling an orange in Kansas. Break time.
I recently mailed back my engagement ring. The ring was harder to part with than the bike! Not because I have an attachment to the relationship but because I have literally wanted that specific ring for 15 years! I had the ring picked out way before a fiancé ever came into my picture! That ring was everything me.
I share this because if freedom is what you’re wanting, start decluttering. If it’s less about freedom and more about being 100% open to the next chapter of your life, make space for that chapter and go two feet in. Do not have one foot in the past and one foot in the future. And sometimes letting go of the past means letting go of sentimental possessions.
Decluttering isn’t always easy but it has always proven to be worth it. So if you’re wanting more freedom, more clarity, more simplicity, or just dying for a change - I encourage you to rid ONE item this week and see where that takes you.
Cheers,
~ Belay
Water time in the Missouri Ozarks.
