Just Ride It

Hello Friends. It would seem we all made it through another work week. Congrats. If you’re still feeling a little tense – up here in Canada our election is about to wrap up, and in the States’, well, it’s the States – I have a couple of options to perhaps ease your woes.

If you’re Canadian and voted already, good for you, your mind is probably clearer than those who haven’t. If you’re still hung up on which box you’re going to check, maybe give one of these a try.

You could hop on your cruiser bike and head to your favorite coffee spot, maybe meet up some with some friends. Take your time getting there, nod and smile at passersby on the way. I suggest you do as my buddy @spoke_n_words likes to say and, “let the breeze blow through your brains nicely.” I can think of no better way to sort out your thoughts.

Or maybe the slow roll ain’t your thing. Maybe getting out and getting the blood flowing is more your style – hopping on your carbon-go-fast-bike and hitting your favorite loop at 80% of your FTP is the best thing to clear your head. Remember what our mutual friend Tim Krabbé said, “On a bike your consciousness is small. The harder you work, the smaller it gets.” Kind of the Road Cyclist’s version of “free your mind, and your ass will follow.” I should think afterwards as you’re sucking down your powdered drink mix of choice, things might seem a bit clearer, or at the very least your head and pores will be.

Don’t let The Politics – mess you up kids, look past to the Big Picture. There’s no partisan way to ride a bike – it’s all the same action – corrective action. The bike is a simple machine that solves complex problems. You just have to ride it.

Nature is an Old Lady

Went out with @spoke_n_words this morning to get wet in the tropical rain that Hurricane Dorian has been nice enough to bring up north for us. One of my favorite quotes from Tim Krabbé’s ‘The Rider’ came to me:

“Instead of expressing their gratitude to the rain for getting wet, people walk around with umbrellas. Nature is an old lady with few suitors these days, and those who wish to make use of her charms she rewards passionately.”

Well, she rewarded us well today with one long conversation that rolled as easy as our fat wheels over rocks and roots. We mused on school systems, societal perceptions of mental health, the fruitlessness – yet imperative nature of environmental sustainability, trees as living poems, books to add to the ‘to read list and the importance of singing songs even if no one is listening.

It was so effortless that I forgot to even take a photo. Or perhaps I just didn’t want to interrupt the flow. Instead I took this one of my water bottle when I got home. Looks like I brought some of what was out there home with me. What you can’t see is the innumerable tiny microbes and molecules and mojo carried in the thick, pungent evergreen air that I drank gallons of. Microscopic nutrients that fueled my synapses, ignited nerve endings and are -as I type this – feeding my cells. Alright. You got me. I sheepishly confess. I went out this morning and got drunk on forest. And I don’t regret a thing. I made a Clubhouse Coffee when I got back to sober up – but I’m still buzzed. If I’m lucky, I’ll get to do it again tomorrow.