Disturbances Take Precedence

I had a flat tire today on the way to work. Which led me to a number of observations and experiences. First, disturbances take precedence. So no matter what you are doing, if there is something that interrupts it, you have to stop doing what you are doing and change behavior. It could be an illness, an accident, a firing, a death, or a simple a flat tire. Disturbances take precedence. They force you to change plans. So I chained up heretofore trusty steed (note to self, can a bicycle be called a steed?) and hailed a cab. My cab driver was from Ghana and we got to talking. He used to drive a Mercedes s550 for a rich man in Chappaqua. He quit because the guy never brought him a cup of coffee when he would stop to get a cup of coffee for himself. The guy, he said, was a cheap multi-millionaire. We got into a debate about how poor people are more generous than rich people. And then a discussion on racial and ethnic stereotypes. See what a flat tire disturbance can do for you? I love New York.

Winter in Manhattan

Having been away from NYC for the holidays I did my cycling in other locales, Florida to be specific. While riding on flat terrain is nice (especially when it is warm), it was wonderful to ride in Central Park this morning. The temperature was perfect (26F) and the scenery was comforting.

The trip down 7th Ave to the Battery and the home was a comfort.

NYC is a wonderful place!

Happy New Year!

You Can Never Be Late

I assumed a philosophy a few years back that ensured that I could never be late. Here it is: “Wherever you are is where you are supposed to be.”

We’ve all heard those stories of the people who missed the plane that crashed because they got stuck in traffic, etc. This philosophy is part that and transcends it. Here is why.

What is the hurry? Why are we always in a rush to get to where we are going? When you get there, are you calm, relaxed, reflective and feeling a oneness with the universe?

I suspect not. You are probably anxious about where you need to be next. How can you be in the moment if you are always in a rush to be in the next moment?

A few years back I was sitting next to a beautiful river with a dear friend. Two dragonflies flitted about and both came to rest on my knee.
I never forgot the moment because it was so tranquil. The entire universe stopped for just that beauteous moment.

I think of that moment when I get my knickers in a twist to rush somewhere.

Where I am off to in such a rush? What will be there? Will I be happier or more satisfied because I got there in a precise manner? Is where I am going so important that I need to be stressed out?

Relish the now. Wherever you are is where you are supposed to be at that very moment. So you can never be late.

And relish the people you are with in that now. It will never come again.

And so it is on a bicycle in NYC. The world screams by in a rush. On two wheels, you can slow it down and savor the moment.

Happy holidays.

My High School Sweetheart

Tender would not be an age to describe me. Hardened, crusty, fossilized - they are more accurate adjectives.
All of us have our internal filters that fool the mirror except when there is that occasional glance that is unprotected and a surprise.
For bicycle riders of a certain age it means you buy certain outfits that fit more generously (as an aside, there is a market opportunity here.)
But I digress.
My first "real ride" (Reynolds 531 all Campy) was purchased from my high school sweetheart's younger brother.
It was my introduction to what riding is meant to be: effortless, joyful, transformative.
I still have it, restored and hanging on a rack. It is eye candy now. I look at it every day before I go ride on one of four other rides (a one speed, a two speed, a three speed and a twenty speed). Occasionally I take it out for a ride and wonder and wander.
So not a day goes by when I do not see and feel 16 years old and everything then.
I think that is good.
New York Tendaberry.

Somali Pirates In The Bronx Return BBUD

I am not sure which is more abhorrent. The fact that my ride was stolen or that I paid a ransom to get it back. After BBUD was stolen I posted on Craigslist that a reward would be offered for its return. Don't you know my cell phone rang and I was informed that BBUD had "been turned in" to a young person in the Bronx who paid money for it. This young person, being a responsible citizen, called me to let me know I could get it back for what they paid for it.
Ransom, terrorism, theft, thugdom. The label is irrelevant.
I paid the fee. I felt awful on so many levels. What would you have done?

BBUD Is Gone. I am so Sad

I guess it had to happen. Someone stole BBUD. Weh.

Walmart vs. Target; Class Differences

You can tell a true commuter bicyclist in NYC with a few glances. Is their skin leatherized (I wear a scarf or mask to prevent this)?. Are they wearing a helmet (only complete idiots leave the helmet home and if your noggin' has ever hit the asphalt and it still works than you know why)? Do they have a plastic bag tucked under the seat?
It's this last phenom that is the real give away. This morning on the way to work a facially leatherized woman passed me on Park Avenue. I always give people nicknames (mental amusement) and some people give me names. Some people call me names but I do not want to be profane. One messenger who I see all the time calls me Armani; I felt honored. I gave the name Pumpkin to the woman who passed me based on her orange coat. Upon closer exam and seeing a Vantage Seltzer bottle where her water bottle would go I decided she should be dubbed Seltzer Pumpkin and then Bubbly Pumpkin. But the true give away to her commuter status was the plastic bag tucked under the seat.

If you commute and leave your ride outside your office, there are days when it is going to rain (like today). So the wise and wizened of us tuck a plastic bag under the seat which we then use to cover said seat while we are inside.

Bubbly Pumpkin had a Target bag under there. I use a Walmart bag. We obviously have serious class differences.

Cheers and keep the rubber on the road.