Having Had a Spiritual Awakening While Cycling .................. 5/31/12

If we expect to receive happiness we are obligated to give
happiness. We have no right to consume it without producing it.

        Hello guests to the Attitude of Gratitude Inn,

Yep, I did it again. Tonight, I hit the road on my bike. Am I glad.  I made time, investing in the physical part of me. Enhancing my serenity and expending pent-up energies was both
invigorating and restful. 

        Cycling past four marinas, with the breeze roaring in my ears as I rode into the headwinds, feeling the gentle push of the tailwinds when I doubled back on the island and having the moon-kissed night light up my path were a wonderful tonic for the thoughts that had been scurrying within my head and the stresses built up inside me. 

        For my birthday, I was gifted with a new "saddle," using the parlance of the sport.  A wonderful addition it is. It's a surprisingly comfortable improvement. My body is glad, especially since I ride my bike non-stop, for an hour or more, each time I hit the roads. 

        Ergonomic grips for my handlebars, were another gift received on my birthday. Made from a semi-soft, grippable rubber, the top edge of each flattens and reaches towards me. My palms rest on them. No longer is a death grip necessary. I can actually ride just using my palms. 

        Lastly, a geeky side-view mirror that clips to my sunglasses or my baseball cap visor was another bicycle-related gift received recently.  Since it was dark when I took off from home, the cap it was.  I was ready to roll. :)  

        The new additions to my biking experience made the eighteen miles the best and most comfortable ever traveled.  You can't beat that. Stress peeled off, with each mile. The moon smiled at me, her reflected beam upon the bay waters followed me as I rode along the shore of the San Francisco Bay.

         I attacked hills that once slowed me down when I journeyed on two wheels two months ago.  I felt my stomach tightening as I pushed, cresting hills. My quadriceps pumped madly, enjoying the burn of being taxed. I love that cycling has me in my body, a part of me that is easily overlooked, if I'm not careful.

         Better yet, the rigorous ride discharged much of the tension within. Ya ay!  What is often forgotten is that healing for our damaged emotions doesn't happen by improving or changing our thinking. Nope, our emotions has nothing to do with our cerebral cortex.  We experience somatic therapy when we discharge the pain trapped within our mortal coil. 

        Moving seven mph faster than I used to---a month ago---I zipped by ducks, wind-shaped, shoreline trees, couples snuggling on park benches and others who stood, embracing each other on the beach as they and I witnessed the sun slipping into the nether reaches of the Pacific Ocean. 

         Life is good. A spiritual awakening allows us to enjoy the full depth of life.  Things that once were overlooked, like wildflowers, sunsets, little babies in carriages and the cooing sounds of birds and the gentle lapping of bayshore waves are now an embraced part of our awareness. Worries no longer invade, renting territory in the property of our mind.  Instead, tonight, I was profoundly happy.

        Freed from the shackles of fearful control of others, and trying to control outcomes, we enjoy life as it was meant to be.
My Gratitudes for Thursday:
1. I enjoyed living this evening, while cycling.

"What man should fear is not death. What man should fear is never beginning to live."             Marcus Aurelius

2.  My side-view mirror was a wonderful addition to my bike riding. While navigating city streets, I easily saw who was behind me. I didn't have to worry about a car bumping into me.  This is an especially good thing while traveling on Otis and Webster, two busy streets.  Am I glad.
3. After 18 miles, I stopped at the local grocery store, parking my bike. I was so intent on recording the numbers recording my ride, borrowing a pen from the strolling security guard, that I forgot to lock my bike before entering the store. Fortunately, no one took it when I returned, a half hour later.  Am I glad. The forgetful experience was an opportunity to be gentle towards myself. I give thanks for a small, but for me, a big miracle.
4. I got food and the bags didn't rip as I rode 1.5 miles home.  Yaay, food! I still don't have a rack on my bike.
5. I'm enjoying the vigor within my body, the beauty of nature, and the fact I'm relieving pent-up energy when riding my bike. How could I not be thankful?
6. I have several potential clients I need to call. I'm grateful for opportunities to exercise discipline.
7. I love time alone. I can be alone but I'm never lonely. We are lonely when we are not at peace with ourselves.
How About You? 
1.  What do you do, during the week, not the weekend, to enhance your serenity.  I'd love getting ideas from you.
2.  What is a wonderful moment in nature that you've experienced recently?
3.  In what ways are you enjoying life more fully?