Personal Reflection 📝

I can't believe it's the end of July. It's been a busy month! July began with my grandson Nils' birthday on the 4th. 🧨 I didn't see him on his birthday, but when I returned from my ride, we went to Saji Ya for sushi and fried rice. 🍣 Saji Ya for birthdays is a tradition with my boys because we all love sushi and because Saji Ya celebrates birthdays with giant sparklers!

We did it! Jeanne and I rode 500 miles of the Mississippi River Trail, beginning in Itasca State Park, where the mighty Mississippi begins. It was an adventure of unknown roads and paths, dog chases, gravel hills from hell, horse flies 🪰, sunshine 😎, leeches (though not when we were near Leech Lake), dead ends, chafing, highways, mosquitos 🦟, urine (don't pee on the side of the road, folks, it’s gross), thunderstorms ⛈️, downed trees, road and trail closures, Twizzlers, cramps, new friends, and scenic views.

Weirdly, we both had unusual food cravings during our adventure. For me, it was club sandwiches, and for Jeanne, it was rachels. Though we had planned to grab Dairy Queen along the way, they were all too far off our trail to be worth the extra miles. 🍦 We found that estimating mileage is tricky and that we get grumpy when riding further than anticipated to reach our destination. We learned to dread riding down hills because that meant there would shortly be an uphill, and gravel always includes horse flies. We discovered that socks become water balloons in a torrential downpour. And lastly, we learned that sometimes the decision to ride comes down to choosing the lesser of two discomforts.

Luckily, our bikes stayed happy and healthy and had no emergencies. So, all in all, we're inspired to do it again, but we'll find a new route and perhaps adjust when we ride with hopes of outmaneuvering lousy weather. And next time, we'll be armed with all the good stuff we learned this year! 🚴‍♀️

Lastly, for this month, I visited my surrogate childhood family in northern Minnesota. I was fortunate to be their next-door neighbor growing up (and spent A LOT of time with them), but now we're spread out in MN. Words can't adequately describe the joy and gratitude I felt being welcomed back into a family so cherished in my childhood. It was as if no time had passed, yet it had been twenty years. How powerful a sense of belonging can be. 🩵

Also, I made a new cake recipe for my visit to Gull Lake. It was devoured within 30 hours. If you like to bake, here's the recipe and a photo of the cake after 24 hours.

What's next? I'm taking another trip to northern Minnesota in August with my whole family. We're headed to Ely to stay in a cabin we rented last year on Big Lake (there are many Big Lakes in the land of 10,000 lakes 🤣) at the Lodge of Whispering Pines. While primarily a relaxing vacation, I'm bringing another mountain bike and plan to ride off-road with the resort GM (and then maybe jump in the lake). Temps can be iffy that far north in August, but I hope it'll be warm enough to spend time in the water this year with Nils. I'm excited about lots of downtime, s'mores, laughter, biking, and time by the lake with my peeps.

Recent Articles 📝

The Wreckage
July 25, 2024

Adventure
July 18, 2024

Bicycles
July 12, 2024

Life Dares to Continue
July 4, 2024

News & Achievements 🎉

Independent Press Award Press Release, February 27, 2024

Spotlight Network Interview with Logan Crawford, January 2024

Books That Make You Interview with Desireé Duffy, January 2024

Tell Me About Your Book Interview with Oaky Tyree, January 2024

Radio Interview with Kate Delaney of America Tonight, December 2023

Books That Make You Literary Review, December 2023

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Holly Margl is the award-winning author of Witnessing Grief: Inviting Trauma and Loss to Our Coaching Conversations, An Enneagram Perspective. Holly is an ICF Master Certified Coach, an IEA Accredited Professional and an Advanced Certified Mentor Coach specializing in grief, loss, and the Enneagram.

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Witnessing Grief: Inviting Trauma and Loss to Our Coaching Conversations,
An Enneagram Perspective
Holly Margl, MCC, IEA Accredited Professional
Published August 30, 2022: The Compassionate Mind Collaborative
ISBN: 978-1737200673; $19.99

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