Mary Caruso

Tom & Amy behind me on the right

Amy  and her husband Tom were very inspirational to me on the bike ride!  She is funny and kind and soooooo intelligent! He is funny and kind and soooooo intelligent!  Hmmmmmmm there is a theme going on there.  Yes that is right!  They are a wonderful couple who are facing Friedreich’s Ataxia together!  They finish each other’s sentences and know when to have fun, they would razz each other with the best of them but you just simply got this strong sense of camaraderie from them, you know when a couple just “gets it”!  They understand what true commitment means.  It’s not HOW much time you spend together it is the fact that whether or not you are together you are always on the same page.  I loved being around them as did everyone else on the ride!  People like that just pull you in with their wisdom and genuine kindness. 

Well, one of the phrases that  Amy and Tom used on more than one occasion was “TAKE THE LANE”.  What that meant on the ride according to Tom was that if you felt any insecurity or unmitigated FEAR out there on the road you were to yell……TAKE THE LANE.  

getting ready to "Take the Lane"

Then everyone around you would take up the whole lane of the road.  This was our “RIGHT” Amy said and that way we would slow the traffic.  NOW mind you, I was always the last person in the pack. So all of a sudden I would visualize the first car would of course run me over before they would realize that there was a whole pack of riders:-)!  But the sacrifice would be worth it for my new found friends!  I never had the misfortune of being run over but taking the lane certainly had a great effect and it worked!

So now I am home and things start to take on new meaning!  Some of the stuff I discovered in that amazing ride now gets turned into my ordinary everyday life struggles.  So, I realize that Take the lane also means that I can yell it out to myself when the going gets rough.  Now some are saying HOLY COW!  She must be muttering that phrase about a million times a day.  BUT I am not!  I am using the phrase very sparingly and of course only when needed!

carrying sam & aly with me always through life! There really is no other way to get by without learning to "Take the lane" in life!

But what I do realize on weeks like this one is that the phrase works so well in everyday life!  You know, we all face everyday life struggles……life, death, arguments with friends, illness, ignorance……the list goes on.  So this week I did it……I yelled to myself to TAKE THE LANE!  What that meant to me was I was going to muster up all my inner strength, I would realize that some things can not be changed and just have to be dealt with! That is the beauty of understanding the true meaning of perseverance.  So what I can not change this week, I will accept and what I accept this week will be because of my ability to “TAKE THE LANE!  So this one’s for everyone out there that has had a bad week, or a terrible week or even a horrendous week!  TAKE THE LANE with me and feel some empowerment.  If you feel like you are a bit afraid or uneasy, know you can pull from your inner strength and TAKE THAT LANE………..face your fears, overcome them and deal with life’s tragedy’s head on! Tom and Amy will be proud.  And so will I

In Peace and Love

Always,

Mary