When a great soul is silenced

Scott Roy blazing a trail during Ironman CDA 2011

A great man was silenced last night.

I had a prof who used to ask her class "who are your heros?" Scott was my hero. I doubt he had any idea how much his friendship meant to me. The obvious inspiration that he gave me and hundreds more was how to tap the inner athlete in all of us. I hope one day to find his balance of the drive to compete, the love for life, and the commitment to help others realize their goals.

I didn't know him as well as some. But what I saw in Scott I see in very few. He radiated goodness. He had a light inside him. The kind of light that leaves you wanting more. A light that came from some bottomless well of goodness. His smile was the simplest way to see this light. Big, huge smile, constantly smiling. You improved your swim. Big Smile. You ran a personal best. Big Smile. You found a way to improve your transitions. Big Smile. You showed up to practice. Big Smile.

He was a coach's coach. It came natural to him to lift people up. Inspire others the only way he knew how, expressing genuine care for anyone who came to him with a goal. I know this first hand. My mother went to Scott with the goal of completing Ironman CDA 2011. The months leading up to Ironman, and during the event itself I saw why so many people spoke so highly of Scott. He had a special gift to cultivate a courage in my mother to finish that triathlon under unbelievably difficult conditions. They finished Ironman together, crossing the finish line together.

I think of an amazing husband and father and coach, now silenced. Still so much to give this world. Even now, still raw with disbelief, I can't seem to accept that such a great man has been silenced. For all those who knew Scott, peace be with you. And for those who never had the chance, take my word for it, a great man is gone from this world. His light will live on.

Fire it up.

How's this thing work again? Oh, right, this is where I post my notes from the field.  With this post I'm blowing the dust off this old blog and recommitting myself to keeping you informed on my journey into the unknown.

I make no promises on how often i will post. As much as i plan to post i am excited to disconnect from this increasingly connected world. And of course i will be limited to finding a "connection" on the road. With that said, bookmark it, forget about it, enjoy it, laugh at it, get annoyed by it, learn from it, this blog is as much for me as it is for you. I am eager to reconnect with that feeling of why I first started this travel log. As a way to highlight the amazing people and places I come across during this nomadic life.

There is so much in this world to stress about. But this page inspires me to tell the tales of all the beauty in this world. Searching different corners of the world to find those people i have yet to meet, the places i have yet to see.

Some of you have a rough idea of my plans for the coming months, but in the end, i'm just as excited to see what gets posted on this blog as you are. Admittedly I venture into the unknown with some trepidation, but isn't that what makes life worth living, that ever-so-faint feeling like you are going to shit your pants if you think too long about what you've just decided to do. In the words of a man named Hunter, "Buy the ticket, take the ride."

Gather around friends. It's storytime.