It’s great to have company when you’re out on the road for extended periods of time. Today, I was fortunate to have Bill along for the ride.
You wouldn’t know it, but Bill is 77 years young. He rides 3-4 times a week with his bike club and my mom. I hope, when I am his age, that I am still going, and going, and going like Bill seems to be.
Bill and I had an awesome 55 mile ride rolling up and down through the hills and past reservoir after reservoir after reservoir.
When you’re riding with stronger cyclists, you have a tendency to fall behind from time to time. This was the case on this week’s long ride. Peddling as hard and fast as I could, I tapped my body for all it had. When I was in lead, I felt strong, but as soon as the stronger riders moved in front I my self-evaluation and cycling self-esteem dropped severely. “I suck” was the only message to be heard. Nine miles into a 50 mile ride, “I suck” is NOT the message that needs to be playing in one’s head.
I found a way of changed it up by telling myself that I was out for a ride by myself. Soon after, I was feeling okay again. For a while anyway.
Normally, I wouldn’t dream of removing my shoes and socks mid-ride. Normally, I’d take on that hill no matter how painfully slow my fitness required. But there is nothing normal about today.
I have Saturday’s downfall (twisted ankle during a run) to thank for the foot and ankle pain I’m feeling today. It’s on my “good” side, which is probably a blessing but is depressing nonetheless.
Fortunately, I am able to manage the flats without a whole lot of complaint. So after peeling off my sock to check for bruising I changed directions and pushed hard on the flats instead.
I also had to some good company on today’s ride which was another thing to be thankful for. Although I think we were both disappointed that we couldn’t enjoy the beauty that seems to be prevalent in the hills and almost non-existant in the flats, it was still a good ride.
Some people eat crow. Some people chase them or yell at them to “shut up.”
Having recently acquired this skillful balancing pose, I like to see if I can improve upon it. Can I pull my feet up higher? Hold the pose longer?
I know there is a next level. It’s probably something that seems next to impossible at this point. Still, whatever it is, I know that it sure would be cool to nail. For now, this is my morning crow.
When I was invited to attend the Obon Festival, I had no idea of the tradition behind the event. I’ve since read that, Obon evolved from the religious custom of honoring the deceased. The dance, as seen in the photo above, is a tradition expressing the joy for the teachings of the Buddha. Each of the movements within the dance depict the livelihood of the villagers.