I was six, perhaps seven, and had just learned to ride a bike. Weeks later, he [then fifteen or sixteen] said, “We are cycling to Grandma and Grandpa’s.” From Greystone Heights to Richmond Heights.
Down busy College Drive, over a bridge and a river. Six miles each way. A Thursday night. My mind was racing. Heart pumping furiously. Fear. Excitement. Breathless. I still remember, to this day, thekaleidoscope of emotions. I remember thinking, “I must keep up to him and I can’t fall over.” My little legs turned those pedals. We made it home safely.
Each and every time I get in the saddle, those emotions course through me.Excitement. Fear. Alive. Being in the moment, present, the timeless Now. A tour de force of the mind, body and soul.
There are times that I ride to push my limits. Throwing my body into chaos.Tapping into the vast storehouse of unlimited, unmanifested human potential.
How far can I push the body? This machine. Many days are like this –like some kind of study of the human condition. Others can be more of a leisure ride. Lost–so lost in the joys of carefree wonderingthat even the hustle and bustle of a noisy highway can become quiet, like a library.
One does not necessarily have to go to a tranquil beach or behold a beautiful sunset to find real beauty. Real beauty is found in oneself. It’s not a location, the location is you. To truly travel is to travel within.That’s the ultimate vacation.
Meditation: “ ‘Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.” – Leviticus 19:18
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