The Puzzle

It was a little bit foggy on the ride last night.  I finished up the daylight hours spinning around the gravel loop at Bent Creek.  Everything was wet.  Trees dripping, road soaked,  creeks raging.  It was good to get out.

As I rode, I thought about the ups and downs of life.   Riding my bike doesn't help.  Sometimes I wonder what it would be like without bikes in my life.  One of the highlights of my day,  I often come home feeling great, get showered and fed, only to wind up wishing I were still out there.  Still out there pedaling, gliding downhill,  grinding uphill,  flying free.

It is always the act of returning to society, to daily responsibility that sometimes brings me down.  But then I start to think what it would be like without the other awesome things in my life:  wife, kid,  project house, Trips For Kids WNC,  our dog, garden, annoying neighbor kids,  friends in the community, etc.  

It is that moment, that I realize how cycling is just one piece of the puzzle.  All of the pieces fit together to enhance my life and give me opportunities that I would not have otherwise.

I have lots of stuff, stuff that contributes to bring happiness and excitement and sometimes frustration to my life.  But beyond material things, that break,  I am blessed.  Not because I am financially stable ( what does that even mean?)  or because of who I know or what I do.  I am blessed because I am cared for by a higher power.  One who created me for a purpose.  The purpose is not always clear, but is most definitely linked to the act loving my neighbor as I love myself. 

Living this life is not about elevating myself.  I am a mere piece of the puzzle, fitting into the larger puzzle that makes up the neighborhood, country..... makes up the world community.

And then I sit back, sip some coffee,  listen to the birds,  take a deep breathe and contentedly look forward to the next ride.