Be A Part Of It All

And everything comes to One as we dance on. Dance on. Dance on. - _________ in the Zen Calendar _____________

Day 56. Short blog in honor of March Madness and the amazing women athletes of the NCAA.

I belong to something. I haven't always belonged, and the feeling of being on the inside of something is immense. Today was the first official ride of the EZ Rider road season. And what a ride it was!

We turned out in our colors. Watch for us -- our jerseys are the blue of summer sky and the yellow of a brilliant sun shining in it. Some of us had not seen one another since the season ended last October. We exchanged warm smiles of greeting and exuberant hand shakes. The pleasure of seeing one another was genuine. The excitement of riding together again was palpable.

I know that different cycling clubs and teams each have their unique set of dynamics. Groups tend to take on their own identity. The team dynamic seems to have everything to do with how strongly the members identify with one another and with being a part of the team. The EZ riders are strongly identified with each other. Individual egos are left in the parking lot, and the good of the team is sincerely upheld in all of us. We watch out for one another in a hundred subtle ways. We have our own verbal and nonverbal shorthand for relaying information about performance and safety. Each rider contributes to the team effort through his or her distinctive talents. We have sprinters and climbers and strong pullers. Some team mates reliably provide emotional support -- uplifting morale on especially difficult rides (like when the Oklahoma headwinds howl at us with 40 mph gusts).

The very best thing, and the deciding factor for me when I joined the EZ Riders, is that noone gets dropped. Getting dropped means left by the peloton to ride back alone. I've ridden with groups that dropped riders who couldn't keep up. When you are by yourself after a strenuous attempt at trying to stay with the group, it is a long, lonely, discouraging pedal back home. With my team, if you are "off the back" (usually exhausted, sometimes ill, or maybe just having a bad day), someone always drops back to pick you up. Usually, they lend a wheel for you to draft, and pull you up to the group. We've all been off the back at some point or another.

For me, something incredibly powerful happens when a team mate drops back to pull me up to the peloton. It is something much more than the literal assistance provided by someone blocking the wind and creating an air flow that conserves my energy. There is a psychological and spiritual uplifting that accompanies the act. It says to me, "I matter. The Whole wants me back. It has come to get me so that I may remain a part of it."

This is Buddhism. No separation. We all belong. And everything comes to One. Dance on.

Gassho,
CycleBuddhaDoc