cassiopeia

a human mind is a fascinating thing.
I know we use a mere percentage of our brain's capabilities, but most of the time I want to throw my arms up, wave them around and say no more! I can't hold any more information in my little brain!
yet I love to learn new things . . . so there must be a difference between information that is requested and desired, and information that is just available and (somehow) deemed superfluous by said brain's owner.
as an example, I love the night sky and its constellations and planets, and recently I was asked whether I would like to study astronomy and actually learn more about that system. I replied maybe later in life, when there's more room in my brain for that. right now it feels like my brain is constantly working with everything that's already stored there, taking in new information just as part of daily life, and as a result, working at full capacity.
which I know it's not.
but it feels like it is, so that is how I perceive my reality.
it's like exercising a muscle: you can only push so hard. you know it's possible that you could work harder, but you also know it's okay to stop before complete fatigue and exhaustion. not everything need be filled to its saturation point.
(so states the woman who wants to ride her bike 206 miles in one day. yes, I do recognize the irony.)

but back to my fascination with the way our minds work: this comes from observing the bike-related thoughts that have drifted through my mind this morning.
today is a self-imposed non-biking day.
fleeting thoughts have thus far included the following:
ooh, I could go for a little ride . . . no.
I don't need to. I can't. I shouldn't. I am supposed to rest.
but if I were to ride, where would I go?
where will I ride tomorrow?
what about saturday's ride: where, long far, with whom?
I need to clean my bike.
do I wish I were riding?
gosh it feels good to not ride.
tomorrow I'm going to wish it were today.
are my biking clothes clean and ready?
how many miles do I have up for the week, and where will I be by the end of the week?
is that enough? what about the following week?
should I train more aggressively?
maybe I'll open this month's Bicycling magazine and learn a few things.
do I need new pedals?
I wish the maintenance fairy would come clean my bike.
what I am going to blog about, since I'm not riding?
could I eat more if I'd gone for a ride this morning?
cookies are good on recovery days, right?

perhaps now you can see why there's no room in my brain for the names and positions of constellations and galaxies and planets . . .