A Healthy Love

Is it love that brings me to my feet?  The cliché of love bringing us to our knees smacks of an unhealthy codependency and the loss of self. Don’t get me wrong I long for a love filled with codependence in pull me up energy because we all need a lift at times and if the ardor of love rings with true reciprocity she pulls me up when my flag lilts.

 The delight of love is tenuous especially when the communiqués become sideways glances and dilated pupils.  And the lexicon of: “You should know,” make the ties that bind loose shoe strings that leave us frustrated and resentment bound.  Time well spent is when  intentions are made clear and the result that some of those wishes will be granted instead of a growing silent scorn as our needs not having been met.

Meeting love on my two feet gives me the balance to craft my amorous breath in a sustainable bliss even though swept off my feet is the romantic notion dreams are made of like the white knight for her and twinkle of violet in a brown eyed girl.  I can still enjoy the thrill of love while standing up and wide awake because love in dreamscape inevitably has the white cloud turn black under the weight of life on life’s terms.

Takin' It to the Streets Part II

Don’t ask me where Part I is because its probably buried somewhere in the 500+ plus entries I’ve written over the past 2 years.  One of the most annoying parts of biking on the open road is the numbness that I feel in both my hands and perineum. . I never have problem with the latter in spin because we are so much out of the saddle and the pressure and therefore the numbness is not really a factor. The solution from my readings is in the saddle design (there are a few types) and adding bicycle shorts to the uniform, which have panels to cushion this common problem that can have deleterious effects for male riders. 

The comparison between spin and cycling out of the CS begins and ends with the pedal stroke and outside of the fitness level never the twain shall meet (What twain? The twain on twack twee!) In spin we can hold a Zen-like trance induction because there is nothing to be on the lookout for except listening to the beat of the music for cadence and adjusting the resistance wheel and of course absorbing the exhortations of the MC at the head of the class.  Outside there’s traffic, other riders, pedestrians and  the elements.  I have found that riding in the rain can be most refreshing especially on hot days and as a sentient man there’s something special about getting soaked right through to my socks that makes me enjoy being alive.  Of course it goes without saying that slippery conditions must be paid strict attention to because falling off a bike at 20 miles per hour would not be pretty.  

The Silent Verse

When this reading appears it is in the form of pure energy and is not concocted by what might have come before or worse yet the projection of clear images from the smoke of our fears.  Often wearing the disguise of our imagination fear the False Evidence Appearing Real never bears the truth in which it claims to have been born nascent from.  

Now that I can tell myself what it is not how can I know the silent verse is being whispered to me and not just my ego giving me the dead air of wishful thinking? The silent verse is not written in my conscious or even my unconscious rather these revelations are naked and are not shivering from the cold of how I’d like things to be. 

Even positive thinking with no disrespect to Dr Peale cannot reveal truth when rose colored glasses we don.  The silent verse is a gift that bears no wrapping or even a gift box it just comes served unadorned in this way we can see life’s angles and can give the proper measured response. Even Mary Pickford with big eyes can’t help.  

AIDS LIFECYCLE

An extraordinary time was had by all this late Saturday afternoon at the benefit for AIDS cycle spearheaded by the twins as we so affectionately refer to them Marjorie and Rose.  These young 30 something’s are always smiling, have a good thing to say and are at the ready with a kiss on the cheek that embodies their genuine enthusiasm for life. 

This was a gathering of friends rather than acquaintances and whenever one of us needs support for a benefit or to participate in a celebration like Michael Korol’s exposition this core of beautiful people is always there without question. And so we were for a great cause dear to the Twins’ heart and by all accounts it was a successful fundraiser. We can always make it better but let us enjoy the intention and let the results take care of themselves.  

Tripp Doherty after teaching his own spin classes in Scarsdale and Manhattan gave of himself in his own indefatigable way teaching two more sessions here. His donation can never be measured in dollars and cents but can be in determination, commitment and as a devoted friend. The girl’s thank you from their beating hearts and we thank you for taking the time and helping make AIDS CYCLE a success.  

Yes & No

When I was but a wee boy yes meant yes and no meant well, no. Nowadays, I just can’t be sure. At least not all the time anyway. Take for instance the new age phrase that has me baffled: Yeah-no. What that means I am told is that its an agreement (yes) that what preceded it was a no.  I am not quite sure why we need to say yes first before we say no but maybe it just gives the negative an exclamation point.  

And then there are times when we say yes to someone but we don’t really mean it and just can’t dole out the truth, which is NO.  And the same holds true for no when we are asked: Did I wake you? Were you sleeping? Did I catch you at a bad time? All answers should be yes but we opt for No instead. I suppose its out of politeness we do these things or maybe we just don’t want anyone to know we were sleeping or the moment isn’t propitious right now. 

How about when we ask someone did you say that? And along with a look of incredulity we get fed: I never said that! So even when we are confronted with what is a yes we decline because we’re embarrassed or hit the panic button because we get caught. Most times we are telling the truth but when we get face to face with someone we or they say no as if what was said never transpired.   

Or there’s the one that I especially love when someone is crying and we ask why are you crying? And the answer gets shot back at us: I’m not crying! I suppose that’s just a rain dance your eyes are doing.  

When did the line between yes and no become so blurred? I’m not sure but maybe it was when men stopped wearing hats.   

Change

When a bend in the river arrives suddenly it takes a strong hand make the turn with swiftness and certainty. In the natural order of things change is inevitable but often its unpredictable. And change is not always greeted with applause but more often than not its just the spirit that breaks us out of the trance that we can find ourselves in when faced with life on life’s terms.  The easier softer way is to resist change and just remain implacable but that and 2.25 gets us a ride on a dark hole in the ground to nowhere.  

The Electronic Cigarette

I’ve never smoked cigarettes but the latest craze that has taken active smokers, former smokers and non-smokers like me by storm is the electronic cigarette. Various clever names have been given to these in some cases placebos for smoking and I recently tried them and although the nicotine content is probably like low alcohol beer, it took not but a few days to realize that a fool is born every minute. I suppose I should reserve my harsh statement in the case that some heavy smokers have either been helped to either quit or cut down on the real version of burning poison but I also suspect that sagging cigarette sales have companies that make these devices have them witnessing a burgeoning bottom line cashing in on America’s addictive nature. 

The packaging is astonishing. The throw away version has its own plastic triangular cylinder complete with a replaceable top which I guess is to insure its freshness and the more expensive versions that have their own battery pack for recharging and 5 pack replacement filters that screw on and off as the flavor runs out are pure Madison Avenue. But the true genius of these “cigs” is the “smoke” which is no more than a visible vapor when you breathe out and gives the impression that one is really smoking and then there’s the simulated red ember that glows when the “smoker” takes a drag.  I suppose it might also keep smokers a little warmer next winter as they can smoke these simulated versions at their desk and have no one complain of secondary smoke. I am not sure what the health hazards are and I suppose the jury is still out on that study. It was fun for me but although I toyed with the idea of getting the more expensive version I let this new habit pass me by. 

It never ceases to amaze me what technology brings us some good and some that has us scratching our collective heads. But hey pick one up it might just satisfy having something in your mouth and look fashionable with. I suggest the 7-11 version its about 7 bucks versus the 50 dollar price tag of the rechargeable version.  You just might find that the  latest version of a pet rock is no more than a drain on your pocketbook.