Blog #643: Bike Ruts…and Hip Hop

I was hiking on a trail near home.

The trail is occasionally shared with
mountain bikers and horse riders.

This time…
I ran into one extra unique.

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Like most days…

It started as a quiet hike.

It was just me, the trees, and the sounds of nature. I was, however, lucky to glimpse two deer peeking at me through the trees…hoping I didn’t see them.

I pretended not to.

I felt a million miles away from demanding obligations, fast-moving cars, pre-election chaos, and, honestly, my own stress.

And then I heard it.

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It was hip-hop music.

It was coming up from behind me.

And it kept getting louder.

When the mountain biker eventually came into sight, his loud-playing music dominated every other sound that had been sounding.

Selfish irritation set in.

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It’s not uncommon.

Occasionally, I run into exercisers of all kinds listening to music without headphones. Some play it softer; some play it louder. This guy belonged to Group #2. I was temporarily and loudly listening to HIS listening pleasure.

It wasn’t pleasurable.

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But then my attention changed.

I took note of THE bike rider…and less to his loud music.

The guy was dressed in full biking gear…arms and legs included. He wore gloves, a shiny black helmet…and he was seated on an expensive-looking bike.

He had thrown himself into mountain-biking full bore.

But as he got close to passing me, he didn’t speed by like most mountain bikers usually do. This guy stopped…and, a bit awkwardly, got off his bike.

I could now see him clearly.

The fully decked-out bicyclist with a passion for listening to loud hip-hop music was not a young kid.

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He turned down his music as he passed.

“Some of this trail gets too bumpy for me,” he said.

Uniquely surprised to see what I was seeing, I replied:

“I bet! That’s why I walk.”

And then he said what I was definitely wondering:

“Especially when you’re 72 and new at this!”

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I had to laugh.

His loud music was forgiven.

This moment was just too good.

“Good for you!” I said. “Way to go after it!”

“It’s not as scary…if I go slow,” he claimed.

Seeing he was going for it, despite the fear hiding in his gut, I let him know:

“Thanks for your awesome inspiration!”

He pushed his bike through the trail’s deep ruts, climbed back up on his seat, and courageously continued down the rough and narrow path.

The hip-hop music slowly began to fade.

But my memory of him hasn’t.

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The rest of my trail hike…

The inspiring moment had been passed into MY legs.

I forgot I was tired.

I forgot it was 88 degrees.

The dude was living inspired.

He helped me feel more of the same.

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Look…

We don’t all have to get on mountain bikes at age 72, and we all don’t have to walk across a country at any age. We don’t all have to get on a cruise ship, go back to college for a degree, change career directions, or move to another state.

But maybe, just maybe…

We can try harder to do what we want to do…

but have convinced ourselves we can’t do.

Yeah?

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This week…

May you find a little more of your own “rut-riding” courage.

And if you do…

Here are two lessons a 72-year-old mountain biker taught me:

1. Show yourself grace as you go through the “ruts.”

2. Head-to-toe mountain biking gear and hip-hop music might help.

S.

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NOTE: I’m lucky to have hiked the trail in the photo above 1,000 times in the last 30 years. It’s less than a mile from my home in northern California.