Life on the cycle

A philosophical Monday morning to you all.

For close to two decades now, I’ve been a cyclist of varying levels of enthusiasm. (Texas summers can do that to you.) In an effort to lower my carbon footprint, get some exercise, and just plain look cool, I ride a single-speed bike into the office on occasions when the weather is tolerable. This morning, an interesting metaphor came to me.

A very experienced fellow cyclist–an instructor at a safety course, actually–once told me “The bike will go wherever you look. So don’t stare at the obstacles; look at the way you’ll get around them.”

As in cycling, so in life. Dwell on the obstacles, the insufficiencies, and the inadequacies, and you risk missing the open paths, the strengths, and the solutions.

Now, if there were only a similar remedy for saddle soreness….