it's nice out.
it's not raining.
it's only raining a little bit.
it's not snowing.
it's not coming down very hard.
it's calm.
it's only slightly windy.
it's only windy in bursts.
they aren't gale force winds yet.
the road is dry.
the road is drying.
the road is just wet in places.
the road only has snow in the gutters.
the bike lane is almost clear.
I feel great.
I feel pretty good.
I don't feel well, but exercise will help.
this cough is nothing, and I can breathe through my mouth.
I'm not on my deathbed yet.
my knees feel great.
my knees only bother me a little.
exercise will help my knees.
I can still make the pedals go around, slowly.
it's so nice I don't need toe covers.
I've got toe covers.
I've got booties.
these neoprene, fur-lined booties keep my feet almost dry.
it's monday.
it's tuesday.
it's wednesday.
it's thursday.
it's friday.
it's saturday.
it's sunday.
because I want to.
because I should.
because it keeps my heart healthy.
because I'll feel great when I'm done.
because the guy with only one leg is out there riding, too.
because I'm darn grateful I can ride a bike.
and the ultimate, final, always appropriate, real reason:
so I can eat more cake.
Showing posts with label heart. Show all posts
Showing posts with label heart. Show all posts
Sunday, April 13, 2014
Sunday, March 30, 2014
couer
when I was gifted with it last spring, I named my new bike couer, the french word for heart.
this morning while I was riding in a wicked-lovely pre-storm wind, which fought me on the way out and pushed me all the way home, I kept thinking about that name.
I'm all about heart. about love, compassion, connecting, empathy, deep heart-to-heart relating.
and it seems like life has given me both great opportunities for this and in-my-face walls preventing it. and I think---I believe---it's my job to learn from both kinds of experiences. it's my life journey to follow a path full of heart, and to learn to handle what happens when that's denied.
this morning I thought about my bike. it's a beautiful bike, a fabulous bike, one that looks sleek and performs incredibly well and takes everything that's thrown at it: wind, dirt, grime, sleet, potholes, cracks and bumps and jarring changes in pavement surface. it also receives caresses, cleaning, lubricants, and some good rub-downs. but more often than not it gives a lot more than it receives.
sometimes this happens to real hearts, too.
the amazing thing is that we---like my bike, couer---carry on. we give, we ache, we hurt, we revive, we become stronger, we love. again.
however, it does---like a bike---take upkeep, attention. cleaning, lube, a new chain now and again. a new tire, a tune-up at the shop.
for the human heart, attention, cleansing, new education--awarenesses--instruction, time, space, tenderness.
hearts are precious and vital. and they will do their job for a long, long time if we take care of them. ask a cardiologist: the human heart, given proper attention, can last a century or so. ask a therapist: the human heart, given proper attention, can survive any experience thrown at it.
couer has given me a year's worth of rides so far.
my human couer has given me five decades worth of experience so far.....
and I plan to keep taking care of both of them, whatever comes our way.
this morning while I was riding in a wicked-lovely pre-storm wind, which fought me on the way out and pushed me all the way home, I kept thinking about that name.
I'm all about heart. about love, compassion, connecting, empathy, deep heart-to-heart relating.
and it seems like life has given me both great opportunities for this and in-my-face walls preventing it. and I think---I believe---it's my job to learn from both kinds of experiences. it's my life journey to follow a path full of heart, and to learn to handle what happens when that's denied.
this morning I thought about my bike. it's a beautiful bike, a fabulous bike, one that looks sleek and performs incredibly well and takes everything that's thrown at it: wind, dirt, grime, sleet, potholes, cracks and bumps and jarring changes in pavement surface. it also receives caresses, cleaning, lubricants, and some good rub-downs. but more often than not it gives a lot more than it receives.
sometimes this happens to real hearts, too.
the amazing thing is that we---like my bike, couer---carry on. we give, we ache, we hurt, we revive, we become stronger, we love. again.
however, it does---like a bike---take upkeep, attention. cleaning, lube, a new chain now and again. a new tire, a tune-up at the shop.
for the human heart, attention, cleansing, new education--awarenesses--instruction, time, space, tenderness.
hearts are precious and vital. and they will do their job for a long, long time if we take care of them. ask a cardiologist: the human heart, given proper attention, can last a century or so. ask a therapist: the human heart, given proper attention, can survive any experience thrown at it.
couer has given me a year's worth of rides so far.
my human couer has given me five decades worth of experience so far.....
and I plan to keep taking care of both of them, whatever comes our way.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
heart day
it struck me this morning that what this web log is truly all about is heart.
heart work, that is.
thus, today seems appropriate for acknowledging and celebrating that fact.
this blog came about because I find such joy in cycling, such stimulation and such an opening up of my creative process when I ride. I needed a place to document my thoughts and ideas and observations, which ultimately come through my heart, the soulful part of my body. the thought may originate in my mind, but my heart works it over before it ends up here in print. everything I write here has been processed through my heart and is tweaked by what my heart tells me that day.
and of course, I write here about my heart, the muscle. how hard it works, how far I push it, and how grateful I am for its health and very existence. everything I write about my physical activities involve that incredible muscle, from gentle yoga to strenuous climbs that push me past what I thought were my limits.
therefore, today, valentine's day, just seems to be the perfect day to acknowledge the symbolic heart of my blog, which just happens to be, my heart.
love often, love deeply, love without reserve, and as leigh standley says, love imperfectly with great delight. \
happy valentine's day, with an extra special hug to Liz and all of those who love her.
heart work, that is.
thus, today seems appropriate for acknowledging and celebrating that fact.
this blog came about because I find such joy in cycling, such stimulation and such an opening up of my creative process when I ride. I needed a place to document my thoughts and ideas and observations, which ultimately come through my heart, the soulful part of my body. the thought may originate in my mind, but my heart works it over before it ends up here in print. everything I write here has been processed through my heart and is tweaked by what my heart tells me that day.
and of course, I write here about my heart, the muscle. how hard it works, how far I push it, and how grateful I am for its health and very existence. everything I write about my physical activities involve that incredible muscle, from gentle yoga to strenuous climbs that push me past what I thought were my limits.
therefore, today, valentine's day, just seems to be the perfect day to acknowledge the symbolic heart of my blog, which just happens to be, my heart.
love often, love deeply, love without reserve, and as leigh standley says, love imperfectly with great delight. \
happy valentine's day, with an extra special hug to Liz and all of those who love her.
Monday, August 11, 2008
heart
recovery ride today. lately my route for a recovery ride takes me first to Michigan, and then to Tuscany, and that just makes me smile. Okay, in reality it's Michigan Avenue and Tuscany the restaurant, but in my mind . . .
recovery rides are about keeping my heart rate below a certain number, and this is always challenging. and my heart monitor was playing games this morning, as I know that my heart wasn't really beating 228 times per minute about a mile into my ride. then it would jump from 159 to 179 when my effort didn't increase at all, and then it would sit at 44 for a good couple of minutes . . . now I have plenty friends who don't wear heart monitors, because they KNOW when they're working hard. I understand that, and I think I'll probably be there someday. but for now, that observation and adjustment is important for me.
so "heart" is on my mind, especially since my monitor is acting up. then I ride by a sign for a company called "WhoMovesYou.net" and I think this is kind of clever and I segue right into What Moves You . . . and I know that when I get home I will come to the computer, close my eyes, and type a list of what moves me. so here is a list of what comes to me this morning:
ordinary people doing ordinary things
adults with down syndrome
baby quail
starving children
crisp, cold mornings like this one
brilliant sunlight behind clouds that makes them appear to have silver edges
firelight
moonlight
the tremendous expanse of night sky covered with stars
small gestures of love
swooping down curving roads
water, in just about any natural form
one of my children teaching another something
my oldest son laughing
people in emotional pain
deer, especially young bucks with furry antlers
the smell of lemongrass
nights in white satin, by the moody blues
a small list, but no small feelings attached. and this is how it all comes together for me: some of the things that move me are like my heart beating in a slightly elevated zone. it isn't uncomfortable, it feels good, and it's good for me. and some of the other things that move me are like my heart beating in a higher zone: intense, a little uncomfortable, but still good. and still others send my heart over the edge, like my monitor this morning. too high of a heart rate, for too long, doesn't feel good at all. it hurts, it can make you ill. some of the things that move me impact me this way, and I really can't sustain that feeling for too long. I have to move my thoughts to something less intense, I need to move out of that zone.
hearts are beautiful and fragile, vital, almost incomprehensible. I exercise my physical heart to stay healthy and alive, using a monitor and a guideline. I exercise my emotional heart, also, and find that perhaps I need to work those higher zones a little more, so that it's not so uncomfortable to be there.
recovery rides are about keeping my heart rate below a certain number, and this is always challenging. and my heart monitor was playing games this morning, as I know that my heart wasn't really beating 228 times per minute about a mile into my ride. then it would jump from 159 to 179 when my effort didn't increase at all, and then it would sit at 44 for a good couple of minutes . . . now I have plenty friends who don't wear heart monitors, because they KNOW when they're working hard. I understand that, and I think I'll probably be there someday. but for now, that observation and adjustment is important for me.
so "heart" is on my mind, especially since my monitor is acting up. then I ride by a sign for a company called "WhoMovesYou.net" and I think this is kind of clever and I segue right into What Moves You . . . and I know that when I get home I will come to the computer, close my eyes, and type a list of what moves me. so here is a list of what comes to me this morning:
ordinary people doing ordinary things
adults with down syndrome
baby quail
starving children
crisp, cold mornings like this one
brilliant sunlight behind clouds that makes them appear to have silver edges
firelight
moonlight
the tremendous expanse of night sky covered with stars
small gestures of love
swooping down curving roads
water, in just about any natural form
one of my children teaching another something
my oldest son laughing
people in emotional pain
deer, especially young bucks with furry antlers
the smell of lemongrass
nights in white satin, by the moody blues
a small list, but no small feelings attached. and this is how it all comes together for me: some of the things that move me are like my heart beating in a slightly elevated zone. it isn't uncomfortable, it feels good, and it's good for me. and some of the other things that move me are like my heart beating in a higher zone: intense, a little uncomfortable, but still good. and still others send my heart over the edge, like my monitor this morning. too high of a heart rate, for too long, doesn't feel good at all. it hurts, it can make you ill. some of the things that move me impact me this way, and I really can't sustain that feeling for too long. I have to move my thoughts to something less intense, I need to move out of that zone.
hearts are beautiful and fragile, vital, almost incomprehensible. I exercise my physical heart to stay healthy and alive, using a monitor and a guideline. I exercise my emotional heart, also, and find that perhaps I need to work those higher zones a little more, so that it's not so uncomfortable to be there.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)