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Not really sure
where I’m going with this, but tonight, here at 8,300 feet above
sea level with Boulder Creek roaring in the background I must write.
It’s 11:43 PM at night and, as is usually the case, creative energy
flows at this time of day. I think tonight’s
subject will be the word "passion." Passion is a key ingredient
to life – without it one begins to become a walking zombie. I say
this because I’ve been feeling a bit passionless of late. Call
it a variety of factors. Domestic life, long hours at work, and what
seems like the longest cold on the face of the earth has left yours
truly a bit down and out of late. Not to worry –
passion is like the ocean currents, it rises and falls. For every high
there is a low, and visa versa. Such is the way of life and the universe
– even for intergalactic pilots. Not that I want this website to
be my outlet to vent frustrations. Even in a low time, life is rad.
A lot of this has to do with my bike, specifically Johnny Rotten. I don’t claim
to be a master bike handler, and feel like I am still learning each
time I put the leg to the pedal and head out on another adventure. Even
so, Johnny feels like an extension of the body. I feel the name Johnny
Rotten is something of a misnomer, because this bike has the grace and
beauty of an angelic young woman dancer. It’s damn sexy and seductive.
You know what the
best thing about a bike is? Freedom. A bike provides freedom. I remember
feeling it for the first time when my mom let go of me on my first two
wheeled attempt while living in Oslo, Norway. People may laugh at the
whole Intergalactic shebang, but it’s kind of accurate. As pilots
of our bikes, we are freeing ourselves from the constraints of society,
at least momentarily. Think about it.
When you’re ripping down some smooth, twisty singletrack about
25 minutes before the sun sets, and the sky is a reddish hew, your mind
is void of all worldly thoughts. Gone are the fights with the girlfriend,
bills to pay, work stresses, etc. Like the Smashing Pumpkins said on
the album Pisces Iscariot – "I Shall be Free." You shall
be free when you are riding a mountain bike. So why the single
speed hype? Believe me, when I’m a little out of shape (Like right
now) and a little off of my game I often ask myself the same thing.
I’ve been riding a geared bike a bit of late – a beautiful
Ti Moots hard tail – and must say I’m loving it. The single speed
forces you to be "ON" – and if you’re not you will
be in for a long, long day. There’s no faking it with a single
speed. Like a good punch in the guts, it lets you know that you’re
alive. When you’re off, it hurts, like it did for me today on the
OFS Wednesday climb up Batasso. When you’re on though, there’s
no better source of sweet, sweet loving. One final thought
on this rambling rant of a web post. Don’t hesitate. Hesitate on
a bike, and you will get hurt. I learned this the hard way this weekend.
I was crossing a bridge near Nederland affectionately known as "Circus
Circus." I’ve crossed it before, but for some reason my mind
hesitated as I rode up it this Monday. I froze in my tracks. Only problem
was I was 6 feet high on a bridge, plus another 4 feet high on my bike.
Crashed off, and popped my right knee about 6 inches out of joint. It’s
an old ski racing injury but hurt like a mother none the less. Chances
are good that if I had simply proceeded I would not have gotten hurt. Hesitation can
kill you in life too. So many times I’ve heard people (myself included)
say "I’m gonna change my life," "gonna travel,"
etc, etc. Like Yoda said, do it or don’t do it. Life’s too
short for coulda shoulda wouldas. A friend of mine recently introduced
me to the three-month plan. You have three months to talk about doing
something. If you have not done it by three months you had better stop
talking about it. I’ve been
reading a fair amount of Tao theory of late, and it ties in nicely to
this. Live in the moment. Live life @ the speed of thought. What does
this mean? If you have the idea, the dream for adventure, etc –
do it now. With the web today you can access all sorts of dope travel
information in minutes. Too expensive? Maybe. But what’s more expensive?
A little credit card debt or a life time of wishing you had done something. Finally, respect nature, the woods, the universe, the natural cycles of life, your bike, your friends, your family and the one’s you love. Do this and you will find passion.
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