Today’s ride home was wind-assisted* with a rare west-sou-westerly coming up from the homeland pushing me home.
Feeling the wind carry me along today was edifying – I was assisted onwards by natural forces… the same natural forces that are wreaking havoc elsewhere in the country.
When outside forces are against us, we often feel it; we feel the pressure, the agitation, the discontent. We struggle to move forward, we bemoan the conditions, we blame the others, ourselves, the past… yadda yadda…
When we’re assisted by outside forces we rarely celebrate the achievements, the ease, the enlightenment, the freedom, the power, the glory… it’s often not so noticeable.
Then again, was the natural force moving me onward a blessing? Was it wanted? …it pushed me on, increased my speed, my usual jaunt home became braced and different from the norm… who knows?
Nature is a raw wild thing. Nature can be magnificently unforgiving, hard and cruel, as well as gloriously healthy and healing.
How ‘natural’ are we, I wonder?
As you know, I stopped tracking my rides with Endmondo back in July last year.
I have of course still been getting to and from work by cycle (75miles a week). Bowing to peer pressure I started tracking my rides with Strava. Not sure why I’m tracking again, ‘cos I’m not really interested in the competition, but the record is good to have.
http://www.strava.com/activities/112854712
*at least I think I was wind-assisted – however it could have been the mother-in-laws’ leeks-in-cheese-sauce. And very nice it was too!
Jules P Richards 