Colorado author Jerry Kopack visits The Bookworm of Edwards

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Cover of 'World Spins By' Courtesy photo With so much going on in the world and in our lives, it can be easy to forget that we only have this one short, wild and precious life. Colorado author Jerry Kopack recognized this about his own life after a two-year long bicycle trip across the world, and back to himself.

Hear from author Jerry Kopack about his self-healing two-year bicycle journey after a great personal loss. Throughout the book he shares tales of comical and harrowing adventures on the road and lessons learned from his hospice career, while continually pondering if he is using his time well.

Following great personal loss, Kopack decided to take a break from his life in Colorado and visit a friend in Zambia, which turned into a two-year cycling adventure. “My intent was never to embark on a two year trip,” Kopack said. “At best, my plan was to get on my bike and visit an old friend in Lusaka, Zambia, for a couple weeks. It would be a disconnect from my life back in Colorado. But working with people at the end of life for 10 years taught me many things – mostly that tomorrow isn’t promised. As a result, I was learning to live by this mentality and to always say yes when opportunities presented themselves. Somehow my initial plan of only a few weeks in Zambia turned into nearly 2 years across Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Madagascar, India, Nepal, Thailand, Eastern Tibet and Israel.”

Exploring several beautiful countries created incredible memories, but the ones that stick with Kopack the most are of the people he met. “It would be easy to think that crossing some of the 17K-18K foot mountain passes in India and Nepal would be my favorite memories, or traveling along the Tibetan plateau, but really, the memories that stand out are of the people, the connections, the genuine acts of selfless kindness that make me smile most,” Kopack said. “One in particular stands out: I had just arrived in Madagascar and I found myself near dark in a rural village, an ominous storm was imminent. Of course this village was not accustomed to seeing an American, especially not on a bike. English was truly a foreign language and my Malagasy was non existent. Through a friendly game of hand gestures and charades, as the skies began to open up, I was invited to stay in the home of a local family. This event, giving, just to give with no expectations, on my first night in Madagascar, really opened my heart and set the tone for the rest of my travels.”

Over the course of the rest of Kopack’s travels he was met with kindness again and again. “Regardless of what country I was in, people are just people,” Kopack said. “They have their own problems, stresses, highs and lows. They can have good days and bad. Sadly, we live in a world of fear but I was offered kindness around every turn when I was traveling. It was in the form of a place to sleep for the night, a hot meal, a cup of tea, or just simply a smile. As humans we can’t choose what happens to us, but we can choose how we respond and I hope that we choose kindness.”

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Kopack hopes that readers of his book can learn the same lessons he did during this trip and other times in his life as well. “We’re all taught at a young age to work hard until we’re 65 and then we can retire and start living our best life. As someone who worked in corporate America, I was given the gift of working in the hospice industry when I was 31. Both experiences taught me many lessons and I hope everyone who reads my book enjoys the stories of adventure, sure. But I hope they take away the underlying thread: Time is short. Don’t waste it, because tomorrow isn’t promised.”

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Colorado author Jerry Kopack visits The Bookworm of Edwards

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