Every once in a great while an angel comes along to grace one’s life. Every once in a great while a true Bodhisattva appears to (en)lighten the path. Very rarely these days is it possible to see a true human. I, in turn, am sorry that this cyclist never lived to see that you were all of these as life ebbed from her broken body. I am not sorry, however, to have stumbled across this letter. You see, 5 years ago I made a difficult decision to shed a former life of diabetes and undergo a life altering bariatric procedure that has helped me shed half of my former self. On this path I first began to walk, then run, then cycle to build a distance between me and my former fat self. I now log over 10000 miles every year and still live in fear. No longer afraid of coming face to face with my former self, I instead have become increasingly aware of my own mortality. I was 5 minutes ahead of a woman who was purposely run down during a charity ride last summer. I had friends among the 5 victims in Kalamazoo a couple of weeks ago. I have been hit, run off the road, cursed at…..I know that my demise will come on a road while pedaling to live. My family — wife, children, and now grandchildren — does not share my love and passion for this sport, so my meditation, my prayer, my fervent desire, is that there will be someone like you at the site of the crash where my life dissipates on the concrete. From a cyclist who has been struck by a hit and run driver, thank you for being there. Thank you even more for sharing. Thank you most, however, for being a true human being and caring for your fellow traveler.on life’s journey.