A mirror to ourselves

Hello:

Well, I survived yesterday's century and successfully completed 102 miles through the rolling hills of Southern Illinois. Despite the temptations, I didn't call it quits with a "Metric" century which is only 70 miles, but pushed myself harder than I ever have before and completed the last 30 miles. More impressive by far, were my friends Chris and Kasey who completed the same route on a tandem. Tandems are much heavier and difficult to ride for long distances.

All in all though, it was ideal weather for a St Louis August. The temperature was in the mid-eighties and the skies were mostly overcast. The humidity was even pretty low. We don't get a lot of days like that here during August.

Last week I wrote about the introspective nature of activities like cycling and said that all cyclists were philosophers. In response to that post, Christine left this comment:

"Your comment about being alone inside your head while cycling rings true for many forms of exercise. There was a time when I ran several miles a day. I looked forward to allowing my mind to explore whatever presented itself. Sometimes that was a difficult decision but more often it was the texture of concrete, the pace of my breathing or the scenery. Mundane, I know. But rarely have I felt more certain of the existence of God."

This is precisely the sort of remark and conversation that I hope this BLOG can spark. I spent some time pondering it (while peddling through those miles yesterday) and realized that I needed to discuss another aspect of "being alone inside your head". Not only does the mind turn toward examining the universe around us it also tends to turn inward. I frequently find myself staring into a mirror crafted from my own soul and polished bright by the miles and the hours.

Typically, I'll start my inward journey when some emotion or motivation doesn't ring true. Some days you just don't ride as well as others, and sometimes when you're weak your friends are strong. It is easy to fall into a trap made of resentment, jealousy and frustration; which I think drains your energy faster than hard riding. The opposite trap is more insidious but equally destructive. It's very easy to take an unhealthy pleasure from out performing your friends. There is a fine line between healthy competition and prideful fulfillment.

I've found that by confronting the image the mirror shows me, these "unhealthy" motivations and feelings tend to melt away. If I keep at it long enough, a ride becomes takes on a certain Buddahist quality. The world narrows and becomes only the breathing, only the peddaling, only the next revolution of the wheel. It is these moments which are the greatest gift of cycling.

The Liguori Publications book I would like to suggest today is Search for the Meaning of Life Essays and Reflections on the Mystical Experience by Willigis Jäger. I have to admit, that I haven't started reading this one yet. It is on my short list to read and I thought it was very topical for this posting. Mysticism and meditation are a couple of topics that have always interested me and there are some interesting tie-ins to many of the Saints.

Well, I think I've rambled enough for today. Worse yet, I've rambled in a hurry. Just glancing back through this post, I'm hoping that the message I'm trying to get across is not lost by my lack of editing.

Peace,

P. Del Ricci