Janet..
Posted on: Monday, March 24th, 2014 at 10:37pm

From the Book “Tired of I.T! – How I learned to stop worrying and love the Bicycle”:

“People will randomly approach travellers for their own personal reasons. I was riding in a city in northern Canada when a truck pulled alongside with the driver motioning for me to stop. The passenger side window rolled down to reveal an older woman wearing a bandana, greeting me by saying “You’re the one!” “Who me?” I replied in confusion, “you are coming over for dinner tonight, we’re having moose stew!” No harm in that I thought, until she added, “my husband is not home!” Cautiously I agreed while taking the woman’s address and phone number, agreeing to a 7:30pm arrival. I didn’t want to set any wrong impressions and invited a female friend along with me to the dinner, also  agreeing that  it  could  be  used  as  an  exit  strategy  if  things  became uncomfortable. It was nothing of the sort.

We arrived on schedule and met not only Janet, the woman who had offered the invitation, but also her friend. She seemed to be there for the same reasons as my friend. Over the course of the next hour, before dinner was served; we briefly all spoke about who we were and what we were doing in the city. Janet spoke of her upbringing, born into the Dene (Den-EH) tribal bloodline which was local to the area, yet brought up far away in Uranium City, Saskatchewan.
Throughout the brief explanations of her life she offered gifts to my dinner companion, mentioning the fact that she had been sick four years earlier after doctors discovered a  tumor  in  her  brain.  After  repeated  treatments  and surgeries she succeeded in ridding herself of the cancerous growth. There was a moment of embarrassment on my mind, while we were eating dinner the phone rang. It was her husband calling to check up on her.Apparently he was working out of town, and was concerned that a younger man was to be coming to the house for dinner. Janet quickly ended the conversation after explaining that everything was all right and we all finished dinner. My companion had to leave for an appointment, but I decided that no harm would be found by staying after dinner to continue conversations.

Janet, with a smile on her face asked many questions about my travels and future goals that I hoped to accomplish as she rolled a marijuana cigarette. She explained that this was part of her daily routine, to smoke before and after a meal to settle her stomach. I asked Janet about world travel, putting her on the spot when I asked where in the world she always wanted to visit. “Oh, I don’t know, Switzerland or something,” she replied and I explained that I wouldn’t forget her generosity,and the minute I arrived there I would mail her a postcard.

It was getting late in the day, although you’d never know it by looking outside, darkness didn’t appear for a month at that time of the year in this area. I thanked Janet and her friend for the invitation and the lovely evening, the gifts that were given to my friend, and prepared to leave out the door. Janet approached me taking both of my hands, giving me a hug, while whispering into my ear “There is a huge statue of Jesus overlooking a city in Brazil, I want a picture of you in front of that, and I’ll wait for you until I get it.” Initially perplexed at this comment I pedaled away to deal with the errands. As I though further of the events of the day, the greeting, the clothing attire and pre/post meal rituals; it dawned on me that Janet was in the battle for her life and was forcing herself out of her comfort zone to do something she always wanted to do, but never could find the courage. Perhaps something like inviting a random stranger into your house to find out their stories. It still remains a heartbreaking story looking back, and even though the Cristo Redentor, a statue of Jesus of Nazareth in Rio Di Janeiro, Brazil is far off in the distance of traveling to by bicycle I still make a point to send her postcards in many unique places I have visited. I don’t ever leave a return address, so I will never know her outcome, but stay hopeful that she found that strength deep down once again.”

That was four years ago nearly, and as this journey has gone through its up and downs, delays, joy and loss I’ve still never forgotten about that moment, where someone went out of their way to try something new in their life just for the sake of seeing what would happen, potentially learning new things, and stepping out of that comfort zone that many hold dearly to. In 2010 I envisioned by now I would be on the home stretch back to Canada, and now in 2014 that destination seems so far off, almost unattainable. I’ve changed my style of moving, stopping to integrate into countries and communities when the time seems right, altered my course drastically, and learned a lot more than I ever could just racing through each country and continent as fast as possible in order to thump my fists on my chest like some sort of superman. Part of me in some way is delaying the fact that I may not want to face the inevitable – This is not Cristo Redentor in Rio Di Janero, but Cristo Rei, overlooking the city of Lubango, Angola 250 metres above the city centre. You can see it from near 30km away off in the distance, and even more so when the night falls and the lights shine on this statue, that allows guests to climb to the very top for a breathtaking panoramic view. I suppose we’ll call this the halfway point, and a small tease – Hang in there Janet, wherever you are – the real one’s coming soon…

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