Josh, the fallen leaf

I'm quick, jumping, responsive, and agile. That's sometimes. You'll see it when I'm on my bike or on the job. Other times I'm moving slowly; like this afternoon, cruising across town. Pedaling at what feels like a snail's pace.

Later, I read a book and sipped coffee. Tilted my head and shifted my gaze deliberately, slowly.

Speed and slowness can be perfected. It takes years of training, of heightening one's self awareness to master the art of inner and outer motion. And for peace, the mind and body must constantly adjust their speed to fall in line with the pace of the autonomous spirit. Sometimes the spirit wants to fly and other times it settles like a fallen leaf. Being aware of one's disposition and offering it as little resistance as possible will bring you contentment. Thus sayeth the Zen Master.

Anyway, I've been a fallen leaf lately. Which isn't the best thing at work, where performance is required. The tension created between my peace-seeking disposition and the war-like surrounding of George's Cycles can be unpleasant. But the general calm and slowness that I've been feeling has made for some quality moments while reading, cruising, and hanging out by the pool. I even managed to maintain my mellow at the gym this afternoon as I randomly picked activities to engage in.

I look forward to a road bike ride this evening. Bike rides are always enjoyable because you get to play games with speed. You get to practice turning it on and turning it off. There's no more effective way of transforming your will into pure velocity than riding a road bike. You feel powerful even if you're not in shape. And it can be a lot of fun. Who knows, it may even bring you closer to enlightenment.