“Of course. Nothing can stop me.”
We can never truly imagine the extent of one’s love for another.
Recently, a 90-year-old man became viral because of a feat most lovers can only grow envious about.
Peter Burkhardt from the Netherlands showed people the meaning of true love.
And we are not talking about the grandest of gestures that usually fill our social media timelines. It is all about the simplest ones.
Burkhardt traverses the busy city in his tri-wheeled cycler.
With complete safety implements on, he makes a one-hour trip to Apeldoorn. This daily pilgrimage lets him see his wife of 63 years, who is under hospice care.
For Burkhardt, cycling for 2 hours going to and from is a little price he’s more than willing to pay if it means spending time with his wife.
The cold didn’t even dampen his spirits.
He shared in a video that he could always wear his skiing equipment to shield him from the weather.
But when the weather can be harsher, even for experienced bikers, Burkhardt takes the cab.
And if his children are available, they drive him to the facility.
“I have to take the situation as it is. I just want to be with her every day.” He recalled to the Dutch news outlet De Stentor.
“I just can’t miss her. I did it by car for a while. But even then I alternated it with the bike.”
He has been doing this for seven years.
He once considered driving to his wife, but his license was not approved.
He also doesn’t have a car, and gas can be a bit pricey nowadays.
But Burkhardt can’t be stopped from seeing his wife.
And as the saying goes, if there’s a will, there’s a way.
For Burkhardt, it came in a form of a tricycle.
Burkhardt says his wife doesn’t know how much effort he puts into visiting her.
The tiredness disappears easily, though, when he gets a good hug from his wife.
Aside from the length of the trip, Burkhardt also wanted to raise awareness of the conditions of the bike lanes.
While the lanes are good, there is still room for improvement.
Besides, if a 90-year-old man can make the trip alone, it just shows how well-planned these lanes are.
The video was posted on Reddit, where it garnered significant attention.
Some commenters said that with his biking experience, he can be fitter than most “redditors” on the website.
Others also pointed out that cities and governments should establish systems to help elderly people visit each other more safely and conveniently.
Their children wanted them to continue the daily tradition.
“I think they keep each other alive with this.
I hope my father inspires other people with this,” said his son Wouter (as quoted by My Modern Met).
“I want to see her, hear her voice. When I enter the nursing home, I immediately know where she is. She is no longer the same as she was”, Burkhardt told the local news outlet.
“But I’m still in love with her.”
Click the video below to learn more about this sweet story.
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