0500... I woke up really sore from a workout suggested my sadistic older son JL..I thought I would sneak to the condo's gym just a few doors down. I went Ninja past Mathias' door and headed down, only to realize I had forgotten my phone. As I snuck back into the condo, Mathias greeted me. No workout, but great Mathias time. We played some Playmobil until it was time to wake up the girls to go "yard sale shopping"
We had a huge thunderstorm that slowed us down and we finally made it out of the house. No real treasures for anyone, except Mathias who charmed his way in a bunch of books for $2. We ended up hitting a Goodwill Store, catching a nice lunch and finishing window shopping at Old Navy.
What was special enough to blog about today? Simplicity..simple things with my posse made a great day. There was a lot of conversation, lots of laughs ( especially when the kids caused an avalanche of kid books at Goodwill), walking and handholding. I am really into Big Cat Diary, so today was a good day for the Hipes Pride.
For those who do read this, there will be an expansion of the blog life starting tomorrow. I am going to explore Freedom...details tomorrow.
Enjoy the simple things in life. Life is made of more simple moments that we can make magical than supposed "magical moments".. Enjoy life. It is a choice.
Body..Mind..Heart...Soul
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Square pegs in round holes
Have you ever tried to force something to work or force something to fit? Around here, my wife says that is just the "Hipes" way just because we may lean our way into rooms, elevators, etc. I prefer the word "lean" over "push" but I am splitting hairs here. The technique works for luggage in a trunk, grocery bags being carried at one time, and other things where the space needed is snug for the object being placed.
Life, especially work, is like this, too. A job may sound great on paper, but once you start working, you see that supervisors may not share your same vision, philosophy, or direction. It happens in social settings, such as clubs and churches, too.
Yeah, I know the world is not Polly Ann-ish and that no situation is perfectly ideal. We juggle the reality of a situation with the "perfect" picture and have to come to a compromise somewhere in between. The real key is how a person deals with that incongruency. If a person is ok with the compromise and rationalizes that the reality of the situation is acceptable, then a person can "keep on keeping on" in that setting. But, if anyone is like me, the incongruency may keep a person up at night and just never "feels right", then a change must be made. I know I often quote Tim Ferriss but once again, it fits:
"Pure hell forces action, but anything less can be endured with enough rationalization."
We all have a lot of square pegs and round holes. I find it funny that people are quick to offer solutions to another person's peg and hole situation. I mean, they have a surplus of pegs but are ready to offer solutions to someone else? Mind your own pegs! And here is how:
1. Realize only YOU have control over YOU. No one MAKES you feel anything; you chose to feel. YOU have situations that you will endure as long as you convince yourself the positive outweighs the negative. Sadly, rationalization proves stronger than courage most of the time. Just sayin'.
2. A situation likely will not change PASSIVELY. Do you really think that the incongruency will correct itself? Think of it logically, if not mathematically--will 50 ever be 30 again? Nada. Nyet. No way.
3. Action takes courage and usually does better if there is a plan. Do not like your job? Quitting makes sense but having a job lined up makes even more sense. Been there, done that.
4. YOU live with your decisions. YOU make a choice, and then a consequence follows. Sure, your choice may affect others...but remember number 1 applies to everyone and not just you.
5. Life on earth is really short. Do you have a dream? Do you see yourself doing something else? Being something else?
Be on the lookout for square holes and round pegs. Do not settle.
Life, especially work, is like this, too. A job may sound great on paper, but once you start working, you see that supervisors may not share your same vision, philosophy, or direction. It happens in social settings, such as clubs and churches, too.
Yeah, I know the world is not Polly Ann-ish and that no situation is perfectly ideal. We juggle the reality of a situation with the "perfect" picture and have to come to a compromise somewhere in between. The real key is how a person deals with that incongruency. If a person is ok with the compromise and rationalizes that the reality of the situation is acceptable, then a person can "keep on keeping on" in that setting. But, if anyone is like me, the incongruency may keep a person up at night and just never "feels right", then a change must be made. I know I often quote Tim Ferriss but once again, it fits:
"Pure hell forces action, but anything less can be endured with enough rationalization."
We all have a lot of square pegs and round holes. I find it funny that people are quick to offer solutions to another person's peg and hole situation. I mean, they have a surplus of pegs but are ready to offer solutions to someone else? Mind your own pegs! And here is how:
1. Realize only YOU have control over YOU. No one MAKES you feel anything; you chose to feel. YOU have situations that you will endure as long as you convince yourself the positive outweighs the negative. Sadly, rationalization proves stronger than courage most of the time. Just sayin'.
2. A situation likely will not change PASSIVELY. Do you really think that the incongruency will correct itself? Think of it logically, if not mathematically--will 50 ever be 30 again? Nada. Nyet. No way.
3. Action takes courage and usually does better if there is a plan. Do not like your job? Quitting makes sense but having a job lined up makes even more sense. Been there, done that.
4. YOU live with your decisions. YOU make a choice, and then a consequence follows. Sure, your choice may affect others...but remember number 1 applies to everyone and not just you.
5. Life on earth is really short. Do you have a dream? Do you see yourself doing something else? Being something else?
Be on the lookout for square holes and round pegs. Do not settle.
Sunday, January 27, 2013
I Give Up....and that is how to win
Wow, it has been months since I have blogged. Hmm..let's recap. I have moved again, this time back to Panama City Beach. I have been very under-employed.. I have rarely looked at social media as most of it is not social, but political media. I have been humbled, if not humiliated by the events of life. I have laid pavers on the road of good intentions just to find roadblocks and traffic jams. It has given me too much time for self reflection.
I have been a good dad, and I have been a bad dad. The same could be said for my abilities as a husband, friend, nurse, employer and entrepreneur. I have consistently been a procrastinator and at the same time been a worrier. That's like being a diabetic and having a chocolate feast daily. I have been depressed and I admit in a very, very dark place the last couple of months. I mean a really dark place.
It dawned on me that there has been too much emphasis on "me". Look at the previous 2 paragraphs and you will see more than a dozen references to me. I am making a mess of my life. I have made decisions that have jeopardized my family's stability. Anytime there is that much "I " crap, selfishness rules.
My focus is out of whack. My rabbit ears needs some aluminum foil. Panic attacks began waking me in the middle of the night. I must say, being underemployed sucks. One morning, the scripture in Luke came to me. Luke 12:22-34 has been weighing on my mind a lot. Being the great procrastinator, I have been putting this off with the idea I can make things better. I sit here with the flu and I am publically admitting I am not capable of making anything better. I quit. I surrender.
And I will win! I am giving up the daily grind of life to God. He is not going to let me starve. He provided a job for me that starts in 2 days. I am one day closer to freedom. We all want freedom, whether it's financial freedom, freedom from worry, or freedom to bear arms. Humans desire freedom. I cannot produce freedom, and only God can provide true freedom. I have sadly seen so many Facebook arguments about the existence of God. I know He exists. That defines faith. I pray for those who mock believers. I even read a post where a guy called the disciples "sheep herders". That is expected and although I can make no sense of such comments, that person is free to believe that. I know and admit I have done a lot of terrible things but my faith tells me I am not perfect, yet I am forgiven by grace. Granted, I do not like it when others point out my sins, but they are sins regardless.
I don't know about you, but I want to be free from a lot of stuff. Stuff that gets in my way and stuff that may require supernatural intervention. I desire a true transformation. I guess I am back and I will chronicle my quest for transformation and freedom...Freedom Acquired through Supernatural Transformation.
I have been a good dad, and I have been a bad dad. The same could be said for my abilities as a husband, friend, nurse, employer and entrepreneur. I have consistently been a procrastinator and at the same time been a worrier. That's like being a diabetic and having a chocolate feast daily. I have been depressed and I admit in a very, very dark place the last couple of months. I mean a really dark place.
It dawned on me that there has been too much emphasis on "me". Look at the previous 2 paragraphs and you will see more than a dozen references to me. I am making a mess of my life. I have made decisions that have jeopardized my family's stability. Anytime there is that much "I " crap, selfishness rules.
My focus is out of whack. My rabbit ears needs some aluminum foil. Panic attacks began waking me in the middle of the night. I must say, being underemployed sucks. One morning, the scripture in Luke came to me. Luke 12:22-34 has been weighing on my mind a lot. Being the great procrastinator, I have been putting this off with the idea I can make things better. I sit here with the flu and I am publically admitting I am not capable of making anything better. I quit. I surrender.
And I will win! I am giving up the daily grind of life to God. He is not going to let me starve. He provided a job for me that starts in 2 days. I am one day closer to freedom. We all want freedom, whether it's financial freedom, freedom from worry, or freedom to bear arms. Humans desire freedom. I cannot produce freedom, and only God can provide true freedom. I have sadly seen so many Facebook arguments about the existence of God. I know He exists. That defines faith. I pray for those who mock believers. I even read a post where a guy called the disciples "sheep herders". That is expected and although I can make no sense of such comments, that person is free to believe that. I know and admit I have done a lot of terrible things but my faith tells me I am not perfect, yet I am forgiven by grace. Granted, I do not like it when others point out my sins, but they are sins regardless.
I don't know about you, but I want to be free from a lot of stuff. Stuff that gets in my way and stuff that may require supernatural intervention. I desire a true transformation. I guess I am back and I will chronicle my quest for transformation and freedom...Freedom Acquired through Supernatural Transformation.
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Fitness vs Weight Loss
Healthcare is a'changin'. The current model of health care will not look anything like the futuristic one. Sure, the model is broken and need fixed but as a provider of healthcare for a great many years, we as Americans should be careful what we wish for.
I do strongly believe that each individual is going to have to be held responsible for their health and wellness. My paradigm reads like this: Health care is ILLNESS driven. You get the flu, poison ivy or bronchitis, you go see a prescribing provider and you get "fixed". You take an expensive antibiotic for 10 days, nasty cough medication and finally feel better after 8 days. In the meantime, you probably will get a nasty diarrhea and make yourself prone to tendon ruptures (a little know side effect you are rarely made aware of, by the way).
In this scenario, do your daily wellness habits ever get mentioned? Do you know how many people I have treated with an awful bronchitis who smoked just before they came into the office? Wellness is not discussed because the prescriber has to hurry to the next patient.I do acknowledge that, as a provider, I am not the absolute model of perfect health due to my weight. But, (and my 'butt' is getting smaller), I am losing and I am fairly fit, take NO medications at all at age 50, and have very few lifestyle factors that are not being actively addressed. Many of my peers do not model good health fitness or wellness.
Which is more important, weight loss or fitness? I am currently looking at a couple of products to enhance my professional practice. Both are decent products and both has reps that are engaging, informative and polished. There is a distinct difference between the products and their programs. One's claim to fame is weight loss. Lots of weight loss. The other has a reputation of helping people become more fit and they end up losing weight. Decisions, decisions, decisions.
What do you see as more important? Weight loss or fitness?? Give me some feedback..
I do strongly believe that each individual is going to have to be held responsible for their health and wellness. My paradigm reads like this: Health care is ILLNESS driven. You get the flu, poison ivy or bronchitis, you go see a prescribing provider and you get "fixed". You take an expensive antibiotic for 10 days, nasty cough medication and finally feel better after 8 days. In the meantime, you probably will get a nasty diarrhea and make yourself prone to tendon ruptures (a little know side effect you are rarely made aware of, by the way).
In this scenario, do your daily wellness habits ever get mentioned? Do you know how many people I have treated with an awful bronchitis who smoked just before they came into the office? Wellness is not discussed because the prescriber has to hurry to the next patient.I do acknowledge that, as a provider, I am not the absolute model of perfect health due to my weight. But, (and my 'butt' is getting smaller), I am losing and I am fairly fit, take NO medications at all at age 50, and have very few lifestyle factors that are not being actively addressed. Many of my peers do not model good health fitness or wellness.
Which is more important, weight loss or fitness? I am currently looking at a couple of products to enhance my professional practice. Both are decent products and both has reps that are engaging, informative and polished. There is a distinct difference between the products and their programs. One's claim to fame is weight loss. Lots of weight loss. The other has a reputation of helping people become more fit and they end up losing weight. Decisions, decisions, decisions.
What do you see as more important? Weight loss or fitness?? Give me some feedback..
Monday, November 5, 2012
Self Inflicted Nonsense
We had a weekend in which we were traveling quite a bit in the car. When that happens, I usually am a poor planner and we end up eating the dreaded fast food. Yes, I should know better, especially since I made a bold prediction of losing a boat load of weight. There is actually "good news" on that front. I had a couple of body compositions done using different formulas and my absolute lean body weight is 213 pounds. So, unless I amputate body parts, I will not be getting below 200 pounds anytime soon.
On Sunday morning, the exercise ritual began with a lot of aches and pains. The knots in my thighs were so huge and painful and referred pain into my hips. I set out on my bike ride after stretching and moving to get things loosened up a bit.
As I started on the bike, I thought to myself, "You know, the pain is your fault because of your food choices." I could not argue with myself. Everything I was feeling was certainly self inflicted. Self Inflicted NONsense..As I was pedaling, I shortened "self inflicted nonsense" to SIN.
What? SIN? And you know what? Sin is also self inflicted nonsense. Think about it for a second. No one forces us to sin. Take Adam and Eve for instance with the first sins against God. Adam TRIED to blame Eve but Adam was more than well aware of the instructions they had received from God. Adam did it to himself, or self inflicted the act. And, the act was for a nonsensical reason. Adam and Eve LIVED IN PARADISE. and they threw it all away for nothing.
The opportunity for us to sin WILL cross our path. There has not been a person yet who was not faced with sin. It can be a great big sin, or it can be a little, itsy bitsy sin. However, sin IS sin and it is not graded on size.
Now back to my muscle pain..I KNOW that my aches, pains and myofascial problems can be worsened with poor dietary choices. I know that eating with Kings and Clowns will only bring me down. Instead of planning and making a wise choice, I settled for the convenient choice and paid the consequences. I am talking about 20-30 minutes of hard labor with a foam roller and "The Stick" and take it from me, that is no fun.
Choices and consequences go a lot deeper than muscle pain. Kind David, like the rest of us, had a choice when it came to Bathsheeba. He could have walked away, but instead he really made a tangled mess of things. He certainly had consequences to his actions. If a person eats crap, then their legs will hurt and if a person commits a sin, then there will be a consequence and/or a punishment.
You know what is really bad? Chocolate tastes so sinfully good. It lures me in and I indulge only to feel the pain in the muscles and at the scales. Temptation is attractive. If sin was not attractive, we would never fall prey to it. Knowledge sounded good to Adam and Eve. It represented power. Temptation and sin will appeal to us on some level.
How do we deal with Self Inflicted Nonsense? First, we need to RECOGNIZE that it exists. The allure of cupcakes looms in my future and I must recognize that a cupcake will not kill me, but I can assure you that the foam roller will be needed. Next, I must UNDERSTAND my limitations. I know my weaknesses and need to know that I am vulnerable to those weaknesses. And finally, I need to firmly and emphatically say. "NO" because there is too much at stake. Oh, look, to deal with SIN (Self Inflicted Nonsense) a simple strategy is to RUN...sometimes as fast as one can.
On that note, I break in a new pair of running shoes in the morning..
On Sunday morning, the exercise ritual began with a lot of aches and pains. The knots in my thighs were so huge and painful and referred pain into my hips. I set out on my bike ride after stretching and moving to get things loosened up a bit.
As I started on the bike, I thought to myself, "You know, the pain is your fault because of your food choices." I could not argue with myself. Everything I was feeling was certainly self inflicted. Self Inflicted NONsense..As I was pedaling, I shortened "self inflicted nonsense" to SIN.
What? SIN? And you know what? Sin is also self inflicted nonsense. Think about it for a second. No one forces us to sin. Take Adam and Eve for instance with the first sins against God. Adam TRIED to blame Eve but Adam was more than well aware of the instructions they had received from God. Adam did it to himself, or self inflicted the act. And, the act was for a nonsensical reason. Adam and Eve LIVED IN PARADISE. and they threw it all away for nothing.
The opportunity for us to sin WILL cross our path. There has not been a person yet who was not faced with sin. It can be a great big sin, or it can be a little, itsy bitsy sin. However, sin IS sin and it is not graded on size.
Now back to my muscle pain..I KNOW that my aches, pains and myofascial problems can be worsened with poor dietary choices. I know that eating with Kings and Clowns will only bring me down. Instead of planning and making a wise choice, I settled for the convenient choice and paid the consequences. I am talking about 20-30 minutes of hard labor with a foam roller and "The Stick" and take it from me, that is no fun.
Choices and consequences go a lot deeper than muscle pain. Kind David, like the rest of us, had a choice when it came to Bathsheeba. He could have walked away, but instead he really made a tangled mess of things. He certainly had consequences to his actions. If a person eats crap, then their legs will hurt and if a person commits a sin, then there will be a consequence and/or a punishment.
You know what is really bad? Chocolate tastes so sinfully good. It lures me in and I indulge only to feel the pain in the muscles and at the scales. Temptation is attractive. If sin was not attractive, we would never fall prey to it. Knowledge sounded good to Adam and Eve. It represented power. Temptation and sin will appeal to us on some level.
How do we deal with Self Inflicted Nonsense? First, we need to RECOGNIZE that it exists. The allure of cupcakes looms in my future and I must recognize that a cupcake will not kill me, but I can assure you that the foam roller will be needed. Next, I must UNDERSTAND my limitations. I know my weaknesses and need to know that I am vulnerable to those weaknesses. And finally, I need to firmly and emphatically say. "NO" because there is too much at stake. Oh, look, to deal with SIN (Self Inflicted Nonsense) a simple strategy is to RUN...sometimes as fast as one can.
On that note, I break in a new pair of running shoes in the morning..
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Thought Control
2:15 AM
Somewhere
Someone's mind (maybe yours)
"What am I going to do? What if that job doesn't come through? How am I going to pay the rent? I should have not quit that other job. That was stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. No wonder I am alone. Who would want to be around me? What am I going to do about my weight? My clothes don't fit. I am so weak. Weak and stupid! Now that is a combination..Geez, it is after 2 AM and I am still awake. I bet I oversleep in the morning. What if I miss that interview?....."
Does this happen to you or anyone else you know? This example is Stinking Thinking on Steroids. In the "biz", we call this rumination. I explain it as how a cow chews a cud. Mentally, we chew and chew only to yak it up and chew it all over again. Sure, I have talked about worry on other posts but today, I am searching for empowerment and control.
Thoughts like I described in the beginning of this blog possess power. There is no denying that thoughts like that control a person. The thoughts control a person's rest pattern (up at 2:15 AM), control one's emotions, and eventually will control one's actions and effort. Thoughts can leave a person exhausted, bewildered, frustrated and defeated. All of this arises from thoughts conceived in your own mind. These thoughts are YOUR WORK. And some of you do not think your thoughts count or have power. Humpf, your thoughts can make or break you. Remember that.
Think of it this way: In the example above, the thoughts are holding the person hostage. In other words, those nasty, hateful thoughts are calling the shots in regards to sleep and esteem. As sleep dwindles, so does solid decision making and as decision making falls apart, so does self esteem. Then a poor self esteem builds more worries and soon you are hold on to the horse on the "merry go 'round" of worry and rumination...step right up for another free ride!!!
ENOUGH! This blog has never, and will never, apologize for its Christian base. I do not care if I ever gain more than 12 followers. (I do appreciate you guys that do read me though). Last night, at a local service, a testimony talked about taking thoughts captive. Here are 2 versions of that verse (2 Corinthians 10:5)
2 Corinthians 10:5
Contemporary English Version (CEV)
5 and every bit of pride that keeps anyone from knowing God. We capture people’s thoughts and make them obey Christ.
2 Corinthians 10:5
New International Version (NIV)
5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
Wow, instead of our thoughts holding us hostage, we are instructed here to take the thoughts captive and make THEM obedient to Christ. I think it was bold of Paul to put it this way. Remember, in his day, every time a nation was overtaken, the survivors became captive slaves. I would think that being held captive was a particularly frightening reality. By informing us that we had the right and obligation to take those nasty thought and put them away, Paul educates Christians then and now not to tolerate crappy thoughts any longer.
What thoughts can we hold captive? Of course we can hold those sinful thoughts captive and get them out of our thinking pattern. You know the ones I am talking about-the ones that you feel ashamed that you have but they keep coming back anyways. Paul also means any thought provided by the enemy that makes a person feel less than how God intended you to be. I have heard it said, "God does not make junk".
Earlier I told you to remember that your thoughts can make or break you. I am sure you all acknowledged times in your life where your thoughts broke you down and defeated you. But, if you agree that thoughts can BREAK you, then you must accept that thoughts can MAKE YOU. THOUGHTS CAN MAKE YOU. It is as simple as ABC--To achieive, you must believe what you conceive.
I am begging to be a big believer in affirmations. You must believe that you are unique and special. Those of you that really know me understand if I was there with you, I would reaffirm that you are special and have wonderful, God given and blessed traits. I still fall prey to the thinking at the beginning of the blog. I talk to myself in these blogs as much as I do to anyone else. So, take those nasty thoughts, lock them up and beat them down if the resist.
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Life is a Bycycle Ride
Sunday, October 28, 2012
0430
This is the time I started my Sunday morning ride. I am really fortunate that the young man who lives with us part time has a great bike he lets me use. I thought I had died and gone to heaven the first time I rode his Trek because all I had ever ridden were discount bikes. Heck, the cost of all my bikes together MIGHT buy a new tire for his Trek. I have been rediscovering the joy and exercise of riding a bike for a few weeks now. This morning, the plan was to ride 30 miles as I completed 25 miles last Sunday.
I go outside, turn my headlight on and my blinking seat and take out on my journey. Tropical storm Sandy, even though she is on the East Coast, provided us with the winds and gusts down here in South West Florida. I will be honest, about 3 miles into the trip, I was ready to turn around and call a 6 day trip a success. As I rationalized this lame decision, a still, small voice in my head said, "Go ahead; you always take the easy way out eventually."
I did the entire 30 miles as I planned. I fought headwinds, rejoiced in tail winds, and had an great workout. As I rode, I was enlightened on how a bike ride mimics life. This is what I came up with as I peddled a long way from home.
Sometimes, the trip of life is hard. As I peddled and ran into a strong gust of wind, my stroke would slow down, my legs would burn and I would slow down to a snail's pace. There I was, putting forth a good effort when the wind hit me and made me miserable. I was going nowhere and the sustained, leg burning effort started to become frustrating. Life does this, too. You get up, put in the same effort you did the last day of your "Groundhog's Day" life, and a gust of life hits you in the face.
Maybe it is the car giving you troubles. Maybe your kid has temporarily lost their mind and made a choice that makes no sense but affects your life. I can tell you from personal experience, a bike ride burns my legs, but life burns me somewhere a little more sensitive.
Sometimes, you have to change gears. Bad days require extra effort to say the least. In life, we find ourselves grinding it out during those terrible moments. Ever had a migraine headache and no sick days? Days like that make you gut one out for the team. A person just gears down and pushes through the obstacle or mountain life has thrown. On the other hand, when things are going great, jump into that higher gear and things really begin t take off for you.
Sometimes, you can coast. Slow down and smell the roses. The day is going well and you have some extra time, money or energy (Or on a special day, all 3). Coasting on a bike allows you to cover ground and not exert any energy to do it. I do not coast much as I am trying to use biking for exercise, but there are benefits when I do. First of all, I use a coast to stand up and get out of the saddle. My butt tends to like coasting. Secondly, I can really focus in on the scenery around me when I am coasting. For me, I ride in the dark and I never get tired of looking at the stars and the sky. Coasting in life allows one to take the pressure off on those things that are pains in your butt (see, I said bike riding and life are the same!)
If you give up before your final destination, you will never get there. Many times, the head winds of life cause us to give up on our dreams. It becomes too hard, the mountain too steep and the ride of life consumes too much energy. Instead of getting through the situation, we merely come out of the saddle and give up. I see 2 reasons to come out of the saddle. You can either come out just before you quit, or you can come out to put some real power in the stroke. It is easy to give up and takes courage to keep on going, even when it looks bleak and tiring.
So we know life is a highway (which has run through my mind since this idea came to me). Push through and look forward to coasting.
0430
This is the time I started my Sunday morning ride. I am really fortunate that the young man who lives with us part time has a great bike he lets me use. I thought I had died and gone to heaven the first time I rode his Trek because all I had ever ridden were discount bikes. Heck, the cost of all my bikes together MIGHT buy a new tire for his Trek. I have been rediscovering the joy and exercise of riding a bike for a few weeks now. This morning, the plan was to ride 30 miles as I completed 25 miles last Sunday.
I go outside, turn my headlight on and my blinking seat and take out on my journey. Tropical storm Sandy, even though she is on the East Coast, provided us with the winds and gusts down here in South West Florida. I will be honest, about 3 miles into the trip, I was ready to turn around and call a 6 day trip a success. As I rationalized this lame decision, a still, small voice in my head said, "Go ahead; you always take the easy way out eventually."
I did the entire 30 miles as I planned. I fought headwinds, rejoiced in tail winds, and had an great workout. As I rode, I was enlightened on how a bike ride mimics life. This is what I came up with as I peddled a long way from home.
Sometimes, the trip of life is hard. As I peddled and ran into a strong gust of wind, my stroke would slow down, my legs would burn and I would slow down to a snail's pace. There I was, putting forth a good effort when the wind hit me and made me miserable. I was going nowhere and the sustained, leg burning effort started to become frustrating. Life does this, too. You get up, put in the same effort you did the last day of your "Groundhog's Day" life, and a gust of life hits you in the face.
Maybe it is the car giving you troubles. Maybe your kid has temporarily lost their mind and made a choice that makes no sense but affects your life. I can tell you from personal experience, a bike ride burns my legs, but life burns me somewhere a little more sensitive.
Sometimes, you have to change gears. Bad days require extra effort to say the least. In life, we find ourselves grinding it out during those terrible moments. Ever had a migraine headache and no sick days? Days like that make you gut one out for the team. A person just gears down and pushes through the obstacle or mountain life has thrown. On the other hand, when things are going great, jump into that higher gear and things really begin t take off for you.
Sometimes, you can coast. Slow down and smell the roses. The day is going well and you have some extra time, money or energy (Or on a special day, all 3). Coasting on a bike allows you to cover ground and not exert any energy to do it. I do not coast much as I am trying to use biking for exercise, but there are benefits when I do. First of all, I use a coast to stand up and get out of the saddle. My butt tends to like coasting. Secondly, I can really focus in on the scenery around me when I am coasting. For me, I ride in the dark and I never get tired of looking at the stars and the sky. Coasting in life allows one to take the pressure off on those things that are pains in your butt (see, I said bike riding and life are the same!)
If you give up before your final destination, you will never get there. Many times, the head winds of life cause us to give up on our dreams. It becomes too hard, the mountain too steep and the ride of life consumes too much energy. Instead of getting through the situation, we merely come out of the saddle and give up. I see 2 reasons to come out of the saddle. You can either come out just before you quit, or you can come out to put some real power in the stroke. It is easy to give up and takes courage to keep on going, even when it looks bleak and tiring.
So we know life is a highway (which has run through my mind since this idea came to me). Push through and look forward to coasting.
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