Trees

In the parking lot of the office building where I work stands two small maple trees planted firmly in the earthen divider separating two large parking areas; other than the vibrant green grass, these two trees are the only living plants present on the divider separating the parking area.  Often when I arrive each morning, I will park in the space allocated directly between these two trees, my "default" parking space as it were...

Recently as I pulled into "my" parking space, I distinctly noticed each tree was position just outside the white demarcation lines of the parking slot, as if "standing guard" over a designated area of assignment.  It also reminded me of two trees referenced in Scripture, one tree in the first book of the Bible, Genesis, the other tree in the last book, Revelation; the Scripture informs the reader how both trees bring life, both are highly regarded and of eternal value, both are central to the faith walk of a Christian--indeed, an iconic image.

My mother loved trees, particularly redwoods & sequoias; she also loved the vibrant colors of the fall from merged blends of maple, ash, and oak trees throughout the mid-Atlantic region where I live and enjoyed her visits with our family not only to be showered in our love and affection but also to soak in the majesty of color by the trees.  Sadly, Mom passed away before Thanksgiving this year, leaving us precious and treasured memories of mountain drives & light excursions across the Virginia countryside from past visits and heart-ache desires for one more trek with her into the trees...

Today as I parked in "my" parking space, I'm reminded of life "between the trees", how Mom lived each day for her family & friends in loving and dedicated service & support, how she took time to marvel the stateliness of what reflected beauty and merited her admiration, and how her own life "between the trees" had been rich & precious...

Words are not enough to tell you of my love for you, Mom; for now, I'll keep parking between the trees with you close in heart. :`-)

Repairs

A close friend of mine brought me his old Peugeot bicycle (circa 1970) a while back asking if I could "give it a new chain & some tires for me to go ride"...

My first thought (as I'm sure was yours after seeing the picture above) was "No, you need a new bike", however, I could tell in my friend's demeanor with this near-obsolete velocipede this was something special.  When I asked about the bike's history, his response told the story: "This was a gift from my Dad--who knows, maybe someday I'll hand it down to one of my boys."  Right there in a single sentence the focus of my task became one of cementing a heritage connection versus a simple bike restoration...

After researching vintage bike parts, serial numbers, wheel specifications, and various other data points, I began the repair & restoration process to my friend's beloved bike, which from my research turned out to be a vintage 1970 Peugeot PX-10 built in Marseilles, France--a highly popular bike ridden by professional cyclists during the Eddie Merckx era (if you don't know about Eddie, click here--now you know Eddie :-) )  Five weeks later and a bit of elbow grease & great tool-assists from my friends at Arrow Bicycle, the bike of my friend's heritage returned...needless to say, he was pretty pleased--so was I :-)

Repairs take time--time to plan, time to gather resources, time to execute, time to finish, time to appreciate; they're investments of self, labors of love, symphonies of commitment.  Repairs bring restoration, renewal, and revival. Indeed, I was so very pleased by the outcome of this "repair"--part of my friend's heritage had been restored, joyful & cherished memories of that gift renewed, the hope of extending that heritage to his own children revived...Bikes are very much the friend with whom private & confidential conversations are levied where hopes and dreams are shared and deepest fears and anxieties are held in secret; if this "repaired" bike could speak, I'm sure it would have much to say, yet would only do so ever so quietly and unobtrusively with its rider, my friend, for whom this bike meant so much, as did the results of the repair and restoration.  Beyond a cyclist's context of recreation or sport, of travel or commuting, our bikes mean something--it meant something equally to the likes of Picasso and Duchamp (famous artists) and to Paul Newman's & Katherine Ross's characters in "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid"....it meant something to my friend as well--thanks for letting me be part of that heritage story "something". :-)
 

#EnjoyTheRide

Reflection

Gaze into a clear pool of water or a perfectly smooth pane of glass what do you see--a reflecting image, of course...a "copy" or dopple-ganger, if you will. Though a specific and direct representation of its origin, the reflection is only an image without substance, form, or function other than representing its originating source.  Its purpose is to exemplify and represent...

Now over a month into the new year, spending time "reflecting" on my life's image from the past year is akin to a silver smith examining their product through a refiner's fire--I've discovered these self-reflections are more revealing than I assumed or intended; I've learned the training efforts in which I've previously engaged do not correlate to the level of work required to achieve desired objectives; I've perceived my tolerance for adjusting the bar of quality occurs with less resistance than in the past (insert frowning emojie here); I've recognized the things which drive me are not always the things which give me cause to sing...

"So, what do you plan to do?", 

may ask...

Simple...just as the silver smith continues kindling fire assaying ore beads until they see their own reflection in the precious metal, so must I continue to refine and be reminded of three core tenants of life: never sacrifice what you want most for what you want in the moment, to train like you work, and to do the work--true as an athlete, even moreso in life...

(Please excuse me--the road is calling... :-) )