I see a rock, a curve, a precipice
each thirty seconds apart
those seconds allow me to adopt the right technique to deal with the obstacle (or life-threatening fall!), with agility and focus because
it's all I can see for that second. My mind is uncluttered, undistracted, dealing only with what is immediately before me, not worrying (not seeing!) what is under my front tire, or far down the trail.
I can't worry about things too far in the future - all that will do is distract from the now; I can't worry about what has already passed under my tire, for it is done. All there is, then, is now.
This not seeing is seeing. It is seeing with a clarity, a focus, that we lack in our hectic, multi-tasking lives; that we lack in the "bright light of day".
Training ourselves to focus on now- that is key not just to better riding, but also to better living.
Bonus points go to lyn, who "guessed" - or rather "assessed" - correctly!
2 comments:
Hehehe - that's funny. It's a similar reason why I prefer road biking and road running to mountain biking and trail running. I find that mountain and trail are work, you're thinking all the time. Road is liquid, smooth and easy - the mind can become a tabula rasa and let the body take over.
I LOVE this post! In contrast to bernicky, though, I find that as the mind releases, this thought becomes effortless but still focused. When on the open road, I have far too much cognitive time and my mind wanders. Not that I don't like both...
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