S1E2: My New Life (Nov 7/23)

“My New Life” tells my story of a new start in life for me beginning soon after successfully recovering from schizophrenia, bicycling across Canada, and then continuing my mental health advocacy work in developing countries at www.MindAid.ca.

Hi! Today I drove for my driving job and went to a birthday party at a pub in my hometown in the evening.

Around 5:30 pm my phone rang and I let it go, as it looked like it might be a telemarketer. I should have answered it.

They left a message and it was the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Quebec.

I reached out to them a month ago and asked if they would like to have my bicycle, being the first bike to carry someone with schizophrenia across Canada (me!), in the museum. They said they do accept modern items (they have video games and whatnot in the museum).

They said it is roughly a 3-month process after application to decide if they will accept something. So I applied.

Accordingly, I wasn’t expecting to hear from them until the near the end of the year.

What could they be calling about this time?

Are they calling to say, “Yes, Matthew, we want your bike!”

Or, “Sorry, unfortunately we can’t accept it.”

Mike Shoreman, who paddle-boarded across the Great Lakes with a balance disorder, posted yesterday that a museum in Ohio has accepted his paddle-board into their museum. This gives me…