Represent!

Quote will be here in a couple of days!

Day 122. Wah Hoo! I am one third completed with my zazen/blog adventure. I ADORE fractions. I'm certain than whoever invented them had a generous serving of OCD genes in their bloodline. Hell, she/he was probably one of my ancestors.

We just finished our second day of the Tennessee Tandem Rally. Gassho to teams Carla/Craig, Brenda/James and Nancy/Stew for all you've done to make this a most amazing weekend. I plan on writing extensively about the rally in the iminent future, but will wait until my exhaustion isn't bordering on collapse. I'm not sure whether track racing in the simmering 93 degree heat AFTER riding 38 miles this morning or that third piece of cake at the desert reception pushed me over the edge. Probably the combination.

The EZ Riders are spread thin this weekend. Everyone scattered to attend different events. During a training ride a couple of weeks ago, we were telling Randy, our team captain, about the tandem rally. He asked a bunch of questions, thought it sounded cool, and gave a one word request: "Represent." I love men of few words. From the moment he first spoke it, that one word from Randy stuck in my mind.

Represent. He, of course, was referring to representing the EZ Riders, hoping that we would ride well and do our club proud. Over the past couple of weeks, my associations to the word have broadened and deepened far beyond Randy's reference to cycling. Sure, I want to ride well. Yes, I'm one of the most competitive persons on the planet. Agreed, my captain and I combine for a higher testerone level than the Dallas Cowboy d-line. That said, I've realized there are some other things I want to represent that extend way past how far and how fast I pedal.

Specific to my cycling club, I want to represent sportsmanship and teamwork and knowledge of bicycle etiquette (e.g. when riding a pace line, who's job is it to squirt the vicious dog with a water bottle? What is the proper sentiment to verbalize when the host team makes a navigation error and 12 people have to ride 18 extra miles?) I want to contribute to the safety and well-being of my fellow cyclists. I want to represent the sport of cycling as fun and healthy and good for the planet. I want to participate in rides that raise funds for worthy causes. In all honesty, I also want to increase awareness of cyclists in the collective psyche of all motor vehicle operators so that they smush us a lot less often.

Represent. I can't speak to all regions of the country, but in Oklahoma there is a lot of misinformation regarding Buddhism. I want to be a worthy representative of my spirituality and lifestyle. I don't feel invested in others becoming Buddhists; I just want to represent the core principles of loving kindness, non-attachment, surrending ego, and the Middle Path in a way that is understandable to others.

When I read over the previous two paragraphs, it didn't exactly diminish my fatigue. It sounded like a tall order. I usually don't like smarmy slogans you hear in the worlds of athletics and motivational speaking, but "Walk the walk. Don't just talk the talk" comes to mind. Clarifying values in theory and living them in daily life are vastly different tasks. Some days I'm walking more of the Walk than others. I guess that's why they call it "practice."

Gassho,
CycleBuddhaDoc