Sat Nov 07 2009
After almost a year of advance planning, Defiance welcomed more than 2,500 bicyclists Wednesday.
Defiance Development and Visitors Bureau, city hall, local businesses, Defiance Public Library and Defiance College have worked hard in preparation and extended their collective welcome mats. Kudos to all of them.
The college spent countless hours readying its campus for the cyclists' arrival. They were greeted by the Volunteer Youth Corps, part of our local and award-winning Volunteer Connection of Northwest Ohio.
Today's events include a bevy of downtown activities and specials, fiesta meal and activities at Northtowne Mall, "Music in Your Parks' concert featuring Bryan City Band at Kingsbury Park and the Fort Defiance Players' presentation of "Mousetrap" at Schomburg Auditorium.
Faced with tough economic conditions, high unemployment and turmoil in many personal lives, Defiance area residents have temporarily put their troubles and worries aside to welcome and serve the GOBA bicyclists.
I think that's fantastic.
As I watch the cyclists navigate around the community, I wonder if we can learn from their seeming embracement of the simple pleasures in life.
There's something about riding a bicycle around town -- and from town to town -- that signals a love of nature and frugality of consumption that we would all do well to emulate.
In the very least, their presence should cause us to pause about our own "rat race" lifestyle and living patterns. Sometimes we're even too busy to stop and appreciate this gift of life we all have been given.
Our track record of consumption in the last few decades is alarming.
We built or bought large homes with extra rooms that are seldom used. Many of us have amassed more clothing, shoes and jewelry than we need or even use.
We value a high income so we can have nice cars and an endless supply of material items. We value things and "stuff" that don't matter in the long run.
And it's not just our money we are wasting.
It's our time. We are so preoccupied with our own lives that we don't notice our children growing up. We don't notice the problems and difficulties of friends and neighbors. We don't notice the pain in people's faces and words.
It's time we free ourselves as prisoners of our consumer culture.
The good news is that leading lives of creative simplicity has been done before. Americans were forced to live this way during the Great Depression and World War II.
It wasn't easy, but they did it. We can do it again.
Today's economy has already forced many people to reduce the frills and luxuries and rediscover the joy and beauty of living. True fulfillment comes from serving others, not ourselves.
All of us can become more responsible, loving and accepting people who "live simply so others might simply live." While each of us is called by God to serve others, it is also incumbent that we help people become more self-sufficient and less dependent on the government.
The aspect of changed living that ties everything together, of course, is a stronger spiritual life.
For many people, the first step is investing time regularly for self-examination, meditation and prayer. This provides renewed energy and direction in our daily lives.
There are countless examples of people right here in northwest Ohio, including myself, who have turned to God for help and guidance during a personal or family crisis or tragedy.
They receive much more than God's unconditional love. They discover there is something more to life, a new fulfillment and purpose.
The truth is, we can learn much from our bicycling guests.
We can learn to push the reset button on our lives.
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