A good ride

On the Towpath Trail near Big Bend.

I went for a bicycle ride on the Towpath Trail this morning.  It was a fun ride with some uphill work, some coasting, and some level spots in between.  A little like life, eh?

Do you see what I missed when I took this photo?

Without giving it any thought at all, I made some decisions while I was out on the Towpath enjoying the early morning sounds, the coolness, and the breezy sensation caused by being in motion.

I didn’t see her at first, having framed the shot to capture the trail. She had crossed the trail by the time my camera was ready for another shot.

Another blog is not do-able.  I would eventually have to give up this blog to keep up with that blog, and I don’t want to do that.  Deciding what I don’t want makes it easier to decide what I do want.

I almost missed the baby, too. (Processed in Photoshop.)

I can use Bountiful Healing (my original WordPress blog, by the way) if I need a place to explore things other than the walks, the hikes, and the rides.  That’s what it’s for, to explore things a little deeper, to experiment, and sometimes to play.  Now that I give it some consideration, Bountiful Healing was really the start of this pilgrimage although I didn’t know it until now.  Funny how we lose sight of stuff like that along the way.

Having made a few good decisions this morning, other things are going to fall into place.  Funny how that happens, too.  Looking for something new seems to be behind my desire for a new blog and a fresh start.  Instead, I can start doing what I’ve put off here.  Spruce up the place.  Maybe upgrade a few things.  Several things are going to change over the next few months, but some of them require conversations with loved ones before I jump off the cliff that The Fool dances upon.  (If you’re not familiar with The Fool, or Tarot, the jump off the cliff is a leap of faith.)

There were not too many people out on the Towpath Trail while I was there.  A few scattered here and there, some walking, some biking.  Everyone cheerful.  It must have been the beautiful morning rubbing off on all of us.  It’s the kind of morning I’ll think of when we’re in the midst of early winter, that time between autumn and real winter when it’s damp and chilly and gray, when the leaves have all fallen off the trees, but the snow for playing in hasn’t arrived yet.

I tend to be cautious when I ride, braking on the downhills so I don’t go too fast.  This morning, without thought, I enjoyed the downhills, gathering speed and then maintaining speed when the ground leveled out or started uphill again.  Serious cyclists would laugh at what I think of as speed.  But it’s speed for me, and it was exhilarating. Liberating.  Just plain fun.

My total mileage for today is 12 miles, 8.4 of it on the bike.  The rest I’ve accumulated by walking.  Yesterday I walked 5.58 miles total.  It’s a good start.

I reckon that’s it from the Bogs for today.  Thanks for visiting.  I hope you enjoyed the ride, and that everything is going well for you in your world.

We may ask, “What is wisdom?”  It is our life itself.  We not only have that wisdom, we are constantly using it.  When we are cold, we put on more clothing.  When hungry, we eat.  When sad, we cry.  Being happy, we laugh.  That’s wisdom.  The seasons change, the stars shine in the sky, it’s all wisdom.  Regardless of whether we realize it or not, we are always in the middle of the Way.  We are nothing but the Way itself.

~ Taizan Maezumi

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