Last July I moved from the a stock straight Specialized handlebars, to a too cheap not to try £12.50 (delivered) XLC City + Trekking handlebar. They enabled a more upright sitting position that i was looking for.
As said before, my riding style over the last few years, has changed from: i. Trying to co-exist with traffic, riding a bike with a similar driverly attitude and outlook.
to,
ii. Aiming to being more aware of place and adopting a more contented, mindful way…
I have always eyed the Jones H Loop Bar – it’s got a unique classic design, for more comfort, that allows the rider to sit up more. The price was always a restriction, but now the same style comes at a lower price without the ‘loop’.
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.
A few dozen members from the choirs Global Harmony and Woven Chords, along with our MD Liz,were privileged to be invited to the Sacred Heart Catholic Voluntary Academy in Leicester. The aim was to share songs from around the world and share the experience of singing expressively and in multiple parts.
What an experience and a privilege. I tweeted during the day “What a FANTASTIC buzz!” I found the 400 children’s response to the choir’s performance in the morning assembly astonishing. Rarely do adults show such truthful wonder and enjoyment. Our organised, expressive, layered compositions were possibly usurped by the honest enthusiastic pleasure that the children expressed in return – what a BUZZ!
I joined Tina and Frances to share with a class of 5 year-olds. The experience of ‘showing’ young children forms of singing and making noises with the voice was enlightening. Such enthusiasm and willingness to create, priceless moments.
At one point I tweeted “Energy needs application, discipline and observation…”. For me personally; I was reminded at one point that expression and communication needs form, structure and discipline if it is to have a place in a organised community. Tweet “Hence community is important… Easier said than done?”
Tweet “What an experience, singing with a Leicester primary school #talkaboutenergy!”
I think the day was thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated by many! It’s hard to put a finger a single thing to take from the day because it was rich in emotion, ideas, and honesty.
Some raw recordings (from a phone in my pocket)…
Chaotic kids pre-muster: gathered in the hall…
Many thanks to fellow choir members Tina and Frances for their enthusiastic planning and support!
A classroom rehearsal: “One Morning Soon / Angels” a traditional American gospel song
A classroom rehearsal #toocute “Oo a lay lay” This is a traditional echo song from Polynesia
A final performance: “One Morning Soon / Angels” a traditional American gospel song
The BBC’s Winterwatch last night was twittering about Cultural Transmission and stuff and how animals learn stuff and copy etc. Before you know it we’re all wearing jeans, shopping at Tesco and eating crisps. Heaven forbid.
Yesterday I commented that: “There are a lot of cyclists out there that need to take a second look at the way they cycle, and there a lot of drivers out there that need to take a second look at the way they drive…” – myself included!
I’m reminded that “there’s no manifestation in another, which is not also in ourselves, no act or attitude in another, which is not also found in us…” (Simon Parke One-Min.Med.)
Publicly and personally, it’s a daily task to be aware of who we are sharing our world and space with. There will always be people we disagree with and we will always have issues with certain things we encounter. But in public, common sense and the rules (or the law) are there to maintain a level playing field.
When playing sport if you disregarding the rules you are penalised for good reason. If you disagree with the rules, so be it, it might be a valid point, and there are ways of negotiating this.
I’m on the PHONE!
“Teach the children well…”, not as I say but as I do…
I think blatant or overt disregard of the rules is not helpful.
But hey what do I know? “Each to his own”, “we need to accommodate everyone”, “they do it differently”, “multi-cultcha and all that”, “it doesn’t apply to me”, “horses for courses”, “what hole?”, “I know a better way”, “Look kids!”
I recently counted:
– Numerous drivers disregarding the law – speeding, dangerous and seemingly ignore-ant drivers.
– Ten people cycling at night with no lights, and obviously no protective or visibility wear?
– A few cyclists not even cycling dangerous weaving on and off the road.
– One crazy coot cycling without any of the above and on a mobile phone?
– Two cyclists seemingly ignoring the road markings?
Some days I wonder why bother to consider who we are sharing our world and space with? eh?
I don’t usually like recommending stuff, and I guess I am not doing that now – “horses for courses” and all that but…
Over the last few years I have enjoyed many of Simon Parke’s books (I’ve yet to venture into the Abbot Peter Mysteries but IMHO the other stuff is “good stuff”). I have recently been offered his latest book and as I have said on my Amazon review“I’m finding One Min. Med. is Simon’s best yet!”.
Sharing this is the least I can do, due to the value I have got out of the many pages of his that I have read.
One Minute Meditation – Simon Parke
“Nuggets of gold!” 5.0 out of 5 stars By Juniper Richards
It’s not “meditation” as you know it! Perhaps it’s simply taking a daily opportunity to think twice. I find Simon Parke’s books have a knack of kindly and simply introducing the most profound and stimulating ideas in a friendly, simple and sometimes humorous way. I’m finding One Min. Med. is Simon’s best yet! Day-changing ideas are touched on in succinct, accessible, warm, unpretentious ways. You are often left with every-day visualisations that remind you of ‘another way’. “imagine your influence today was like the spreading of buttercups…” “taking offence is a choice, just as succumbing to flattery is a choice…” I don’t think I’m overdoing it to say this book could be a catalyst to potentially life-changing attitudes. Pages I will return to often.
Nowt specific to focus on, but lots of eddies and currents going on. After the advent-urous Christmas excitements, January sees a wake of settling sediments.
I caught these two magpies this morning on the early morning walk with the dog. It’s usually Em that takes Bracken out, but occasionally, usually a Sunday, I’ll get up and out early leaving Em to lay in – realistically Em’s Sunday lay in will typically turn into and early morning fest with the kids.
One for sorrow, two for joy… yadda yadda… goes the ritual rhyme, there are various versions but we stop at two (as we did with the kids, a sighting of 3 or 4 magpies is not really entertained). We tell the kids that one for sorrow usually means that the one magpie has lost his friend but that it’s probably around somewhere you just have to look harder for it.
My mid-life turbulence is accompanied by a sort of ‘return to nature’ thing going on with the old personal world-view. I sense this might be reinforced by the infotainment media’s magnificent nature/science output, part of the bread and circus we are fed. We are served imagery and coverage that is just fantastic and ‘out of this world’! It’s easy to take for granted the stuff we see on our TV/PC screens but the common place close-ups and slow-mo we see would not have been dreamt of when we were young!
It’s a beautiful but also raw and cruel natural world; stuff blossoms, blooms, decays, dies, transforms. Stuff kills, feeds, struggles, in circles and rhythms – nature is a wondrous thing.
I have and for now will refrain from writing about my relationship to our dog. Save to say it’s significant. Bracken is/was Em’s project but I have taken to him full on. Yes he’s a dog and we try to maintain animal / human sensibilities, but one can’t help noticing the warmth of a living creature when he sleeps on your lap. When he looks for attention. When he shows ‘signs’ of affection. When he identifies with you as his ‘master’? It’s nature. An ongoing discovery.
The morning walks, as with the daily commutes, bring you closer to the elements and the seasons – again you feel closer to nature, more alive.
Where these ‘out of this world’ experiences link up with a supreme being, a creator, a trinitarian god, I cannot comprehend. Nature is not the biblical God, nature is a living breathing growing moving feast that shapes us and makes us what we are. Just look at the recent storms, that form and reform our environment. Just look at the fragile chemical soups that form our brains and characters. We constantly battle to forge our place in the natural world. We constantly battle to settle our physiology and psychology with drugs and medicine as well as habit and ritual. There’s a bigger thing than us indeed, but perhaps focusing on it becomes harder as life goes on.
OK, I’m also currently distracted by a few books and stuff that I received last month which will no doubt cause effect in due-course but generally there’s…
Nowt specific to focus on… ? except the world WE live in?
Jules P Richards 