My online journal where I share my interests in photography, nature, journaling, fountain pens, bicycling, coffee life, spirituality and the mystery of it all.
Well, I have now riden the past five consecutive days and love being back on the bicycle. A couple of those days I had to deal with north/northwest wind gusts up to 20 mph so I got in some good exercise. I took this image of the red steed at Spring Canyon Park which is where I turn around and head back. It’s an easy 10 mile round trip. The sun has set so time to push publish. I hope everyone has a great weekend.
“There are a hundred paths through the world that are easier than loving.
Mary Oliver
But, who wants easier?”
I finally got in my much needed bicycle ride yesterday afternoon. I rode out to Spring Canyon Park and back, a 5.9 mile ride. The last time I rode was December 27th. It felt good physically and mentally to ride again. I followed that up with a round trip ride to Mugs and back this morning, about 5.4 miles. My Fitbit is telling me to take it easy and go slower and I am. It has been cloudy and overcast today with the wind gusting up to 16 mph but the temperature is 68 degrees. Winter is not showing up in Colorado. The above image was taken last week on a drive along Horsetooth Reservoir. Love the blue and the effort!
For many years I had no clue what love was. I guess you can say I took a lot of those paths Mary Oliver mentions in search of it , while not really knowing what I was looking for. It also took a while to realize how I had love, lust and desires all tangled up in my head. I am happy to say that the past 25-30 years have given me an appreciation of all the varieties of love we can experience in life and the wisdom that there is no need to define love, but only experience the gift of loving and being loved. It requires knowing ourselves, letting go of preconditioned notions of love, taking risks, being open to the other, and an openness to the unlimited possibilities. That’s true whether loving or being loved. As Mary suggests it is not easy but in my experience, well worth the effort! I would even suggest it’s much easier than being full of hate. I hope you are having a good day.
… to be human is to become visible while carrying what is hidden as a gift to others…
David Whyte
It was a 2.2 mile ride to coffee this morning but I decided to take the long-cut home and added 9.3 miles. It was wonderful! We had another beautiful day here in Colorado. I spent time at Reservoir Ridge this afternoon for some much needed reading and journaling. It was one of those days. Nature is a gift!
The bicycle I’ve purchased is a Trek Verve+ 1 LT which is a lightweight electric city bike. It has a lightweight Alpha Gold Aluminum frame with lowstep geometry, which is what this older guy needs. It has an 8-speed Shimano drivetrain, a Hyena (250W, 40Nm) motor capable of sustaining speeds up to 20mph, an LED Bluetooth controller, and 250Wh battery with an estimated range of 35 miles, which is integrated into the down tube. It also has hydraulic disc brakes, extra wide 27.5 x 2″ tires for stability and traction, ergonomic grips, fenders, and lights. The bicycle weighs 44 pounds, which makes it easy to maneuver and is easy ride without the assist. Being a Class 1 ebike, it has no throttle and therefore I must be peddling to have any kind of assist. Oh, and it’s red! Pedaling on….
Let love lead your soul
Rumi
make it a place to retire to,
a kind of cave, a retreat
for the deep core of being.
The leaves have been changing colors the past couple weeks around my condo. One tree has dropped most of its leaves. However, the greens are vibrant at Spring Creek Park with lush foliage in the trees and a well manicured lawn. I plopped myself on one of the park benches and watched the clouds continuously reshape themselves. Even though these clouds provided rain in the mountains, we did not get any. But, even without the rain, one of their tasks was to touch my soul.
I took a nice gentle ride early yesterday evening along Spring Creek Trail to Spring Creek Park. There is lots of natural beauty along this trail, so I hope to be able to show more photos as I ride this trail. This photo was taken shortly before the sun set around 6:55 pm. I am gathering with a few high school classmates today for an ‘end of summer’ picnic at 11:00 am. It looks like we will have plenty of sunshine and I assume more than enough food. I am taking a crockpot of barbecue pulled chicken for making sliders and a roll of Tums. I hope you enjoy your weekend!