The Thread of Existence

I should never have made my success in life if I had not bestowed upon the least thing I have ever undertaken the same attention and care I have bestowed upon the greatest. - Charles Dickens in the Zen Calendar (August 8, 2006).

Day 125. Back home in Oklahoma City. Serious case of post-rally blues. Even more serious is the bone-crushing fatigue that follows major physical exertion. The ultimate seriousness is the frazzled status of my brain. We introverts pay a high price for four days of social shenanigans. It was totally worth it.

It has been very difficult to shift energy from leg-churning rpm's, laps around a former NASCAR racetrack complete with 15-degree embankment, and sweat soaking ascents to laundry, phone calls, e-mails and my appointment book. I keep thinking about my foyer and the importance of transition time. Unfortunately, my time is up. I must quickly transfer from the "Cycle" to the "Doc" persona of my screen name. I honor them equally, and they are certainly not mutually exclusive. It's just more difficult to transition when my immersion in cycling has been so complete. Back to Balance. Always back to Balance. At least until Cannondale discovers me and offers lucrative sponsorship. The Voice of Reality that I've been hearing so distinctly lately says, "Don't quit your day job."

I like the idea expressed by Dickens in the quote I chose today. It is a succinct reminder that, nestled in between blogging and doctoring and sitting and pedaling, my mundane daily undertakings still deserve my attention and care. It helps me refrain from resenting them as distractions and drains. As I prepared to sit zazen in the hotel room over the past four days, it occurred to me that, since beginning this endeavor, skipping a night of sitting never crosses my mind. If I entertain the thought even briefly, a profound sense of betrayal to my Self overcomes me. Zazen interweaves the otherwise disjointed facets of my life. Sitting has become the thread that weaves the tapestry of my existence. Without it, I may come unraveled.

I may come unraveled anyway, but the idea doesn't bother me near as much as it used to.

Gassho,
CycleBuddhaDoc