Riding home from work today, I wasn’t taking in the sunshine, the heat. A perfect fall day with a hint of ice crystal in the air, a waft of dry grass and tropics. If I were more Buddhist, I could have let go of insignificant things, like making mistakes, like campus politics, like fear. If I were more Buddhist, I would have noticed the new colors in the trees, the pattern of leaves in the bike lane, and the sound of tires over pine needles and twigs. So different. So different.
Instead, I looked ahead, at my handlebars, pushed, shifted gears where I knew I could maximize the slope. Instead of taking in one of the last breath-taking days of the year, I let silly things distract me.
But I have to say… There’s nothing like irritation to motivate me in a workout. Today was the fastest I’ve ever ridden home: 12.7 miles in 51.19 minutes for an average speed of 14.8 mph. I’m going to hit that goal of 15 mph. Maybe not this fall (since I want to be more Buddhist) but soon.