Take the Plunge!!!!

Hello dear wonderful friends! Wow! What a phenomenal weekend…ok…I know…by now that was days ago and yet….! I am still breathless!

The sky was PERFECT….big beautiful poofy clouds…the type of breeze that makes your skin tingle….it was one of those blissful mornings when my heart could barely keep pace with all of the delight that I was feeling….! YES!!!! Life was exquisite, but even more exquisite was that life was about to break through some boundaries, wrap me in adventure and take me on a journey….! And I had NO IDEA what I was in for!

In this case, Life’s mystic “guru” was called Ridgeline…. I know…it’s sounds unassuming enough but don’t let that fool you… this was THE TRAIL….the one that I had vowed that I would never attempt… I was secure in myself…no need to prove any absurd level of courageousness…I had “nothing to prove”… I was content in my own skin…. all true…..

….Until…..

I suppose that the little ripples of change began with the trail called the “Abyss”….yes, that sounds a bit more daunting, doesn’t it..ha ha, you have NO IDEA!!!… I rode into the Abyss like I have many times before…a bit nervous…sweaty palms….music discreetly pumping out of my pack….focused and “ready” for the obstacles that lay ahead….I had made a slight adjustment in the height of my seat and I was feeling the new alignment and harmony… balance…a feeling of a strong center….and my mind was alive with “deliberate intent”…..

The start of the trail is actually interesting and in some ways, it’s the part of the trail that gives me the most jolt of my nerves…it is nerve-wrackingly narrow (with a “lovely ravine”—gulp– to the right), bumpy…strewn with boulders, roots, twists, dips and climbs…. none of the “OMG hold on for dear life” drops…. just those subtle constant jolts of stress… yes, if the drops are the jawbreakers in this candy store, these would be the sour ball “Warheads” that make even your tiniest cells feel like they are puckering!

On this morning, however, there was FLOW…. that magical “weeeee” sort of energy (ha ha…in some cultures, they call it chi or ki….. I call it my “weeeeeeeee” factor…. and when there is “weeeeeee”, there is always oneness…wink…..double entendre DEFINITELY intended….)….down I sailed into the Abyss….noticing the rocks and the boulders, but feeling the charge of exhilaration! It was the perfect genius moment of harmony between human, nature and “machine”…..

In total elation, I thrust forward up the first incline…crested the top, sharp turn (watch out for that TREEEEE) then SAILED DOWN…..over the roots, over the rocks, more roots, more rocks…terrific speed…then up, up UP the incline….eyes alert….looking forward… marking the path between (are you kidding???) MORE OMINOUS looking roots (and boulders, and rocks….hee hee…pant…wheeze…such is the life of a mountain biker)….pedal, pedal, PEDAL…..!!!….YES!!!…..soaring to the top with pure and definite WEEEEEEEE! Sailing through nature…so in sync with the energy….whooping and crowing, “I love this trail! I love this bike! I love this life!”….and yes, it was time for a very loud WEEEEEEEEE! (Although the other bikers must think I’m nuts, it is a very functional way to keep the alligators at bay….I hope….! Wink!)

A clean ride through North Abyss!!! I finished the trail!

…And oddly enough, it had been exhilarating and tough, but I felt suddenly a strong sense of PURE EASE. I felt GOOOOOOODDDDD! And in that moment, the “me” that I had been as I started that trail changed….. I became a bit “more” and that “more” inspired me to desire (yes….REALLY?? ARE YOU SURE—says my logical brain…) to face the always feared and previously ogreish Ridgeline trail…..

It was time…. not because I had to, but because I sensed that now it would bring me joy… it would guide me to new frontiers within myself that I was now ready to allow and to embrace… I was ready to expand……terrified (said my logical brain) but confident (said my soul….)…

Into the dreaded Ridgeline trail, I rode…and yes, my heart was pumping…. the unfamiliar hills seemed definitely higher and the drops were HOLY MOLEY NOT QUITE WEEEEE BUT I’M DOING IT….Wow!…. no place for the old me who claimed that vertigo was an issue…..just ride…. no time to wonder if I could do it….just KNOW that you can…. KNOW that you are ready….. up….down….over….and around….on…and…on…AND ON… the challenges seem to go….and then…..suddenly…..MADE IT….here come’s the “weeeeeeeeeee”! So alive….panting….but so empowered…….!

And as I stood there….worn but blissful, this dear park smiled at me and whispered and said, “so it is with Life, dear one….the bliss is in the journey…it is the boulders, the roots and the drops that create the thrill of the ride, so remember to sit back, focus, relax and savor the adventure. TAKE THE PLUNGE! That’s where the true ‘weeeeeeeee’ lies……”

Wishing you all a marvelous day of sweet “wweeeeeeeeeeee”…… May the boulders and drops in your path create the most sublime of adventures! Are you ready to feel that wind in your face???