…The space between two places with chuff-all going on.
As I near the end of my journey I’ve been reflecting on the trip and a lot of this has happened in The Nothing. Den and I have smashed our way across France and into Italy in amazing time. Passing through town after town that I now can’t remember the names of or anything significant about them. But between each place has existed a something – The Nothing. Huge fields of maize, vineyards, pine forests, paddy fields, glacial rock gardens and miles of corn fields all have existed there. I probably barely looked up, trying to focus on not slowing or shifting my sore backside from its temporary comfortable position. Following Den, I have learned to focus on the name written on his pannier rack. Our legs pedal in sync as I draft behind him.
I’ve thought about many things out there – family, work, friends, my parents, life. Sometimes it has been a useful head space, making me see things in a different light and maybe even changing me. Other times it has saddened me, reducing me to tears and scrabbling for answers that simply aren’t there. Possibly too much self-reflection is not good for me, but I know this trip will have changed me. It could be that the head space times are not the changing moments, but spending time with a good friend doing something amazing. Den has been an amazing person to spend time with and I truly feel humbled by some of our chats. His outlook on life is so positive and selfless – I could not have got here without him.
