Cycling into your soul: A journey out into the world and down into the soul : a triumphant return with newfound wisdom [Paperback]

The spirit quest of a fifty-year old woman who took her bicycle around the world looking for answers to life questions. She traveled alone. She rode in Russia, the Czech Republic, Corsica, Turkey, Cyprus, Rhodes, New Zealand and Thailand. She found answers and grew. This is a journey out into the world and down into the soul. It tells of a triumphant return with newfound wisdom.

This is a rare book. It is a fresh twist on the travelogue. It brings irreverent humour and unflagging enthusiasm to a journey that only begins with the traveling. Marg has a delightful way of expressing her discoveries. Her joy and courage inspire readers everywhere.

I sat in a restaurant recounting to my friend, Sue, some of the things that had happened on my wonderful trip. She said, "It's a book Marg. You have to write this book." Every time she phoned me she asked, "How are you doing with the book?" Eventually I started writing to get Sue off my back. Before long the book took on a life of its own.

Marg Archibald celebrated fifty out in the world with her bicycle. She cycled in Russia, the Czech Republic, Corsica, Turkey, Cyprus, Rhodes, New Zealand and on an island in the Gulf of Thailand.

She learned life lessons that ring true for all of us. She learned the power of her own faith that strangers would treat her well. She learned how struggle and fear add to the richness of life and she learned to hear that small voice inside that tapped greater wisdom than she knew she had.

Lessons that are taught in the world's great religions opened in her heart. Traveling alone, these life lessons became hers. She watched herself grow from isolated despair to a calm connection with the ground under her feet and the love around her. She felt like she had cycled into her soul.

These are lessons for all of us, everywhere, as we journey to other lands and as we labour at our desks. Marg shares these big insights and small, quiet truths. You will feel like you journey with her and learn the lessons the world has to teach by her side.

Marg is a mom and a small business owner. She is not an athlete. She puttered around Southern Alberta on her Sears 5-speed ladies bicycle for fifteen years. This was leisurely exploring of the countryside.

"As 50 loomed and I saw my value as a single woman plummet, I decided the occasion needed a grand gesture - - like going around the world. And taking my bicycle. That's how I went from day trips to the world." She mortgaged her house and traveled alone to St Petersburg, Russia.

After six months of following her whims and making choices by instinct, Marg wanted to go on seeing the world by bicycle and helping other people do so as well. "I saw the wistful look in their eyes and heard their yearning when I described that I was out to see the world on my bike. They didn't realize how easy it was."

She came home to publish a cycling guidebook about Southern Alberta. Then researched, wrote and published one on the Niagara Region. Then she wrote "Cycling into Your Soul" based on her trip around the world.

She is founder and owner of an advertising agency that specializes in marketing for professionals. She teaches marketing workshops and travels internationally teaching effective communication skills to health care professionals.

Marg cycles by herself. "I go out there. I encounter danger, beauty, peace, excitement, whimsy and insight. When I am alone it feels as rich as experience can be. I am in the moment and connected with my spirit."