Song: Drops of Jupiter
Group: Train
I had left home around 0530 in the morning to trike and to capture the sunrise.
Although it was still pitch black...
much of the colors of sunrise happen before the sun breaches the horizon.
Once I had almost reached Sunset Court...
I saw a dark amber moon setting behind a distant mountain ridge.
I quickly pedaled to the edge and brought my camera to bear.
Although I had taken more...
the rest were out of focus.
I then triked over to Sunrise Point.
As the sun is now shifting more towards true east as it is getting later in the season...
I realized that I will have to change my location from now on...
to the top of the ridge.
I will be taking my folding seat and camera tripod...
and setting it up at the top.
As my trike will have to remain on the street...
I am going to buy a long cable lock and secure it to a lamp post.
As I am partially deaf...
I am afraid someone could ride off on my trike...
and I wouldn't be able to hear it...
as my back will be to it during my photo shoot of the sunrises.
I had seen this strange opening in the clouds...
and as it kept getting brighter...
it seemed to be a misty cave of light.
The whole sky was covered almost entirely in a thick cloud cover...
except where the moon had set...
and right where the sun was rising.
It had an etherial effect...
as the rest of the sky was dark...
further accentuating the cave of light.
I couldn't believe my luck.
The sun was actually rising right in the middle of the cave of light.
As you can see here...
the direct rays of the sun had not shown beyond the mountain ridge just before me...
or on my mountain ridge.
It had a strange, but beautiful effect.
--------------------------
When I first had looked at the sky this morning...
I could see that heavy clouds covered the sky.
However, I was itching for a ride...
so...
I got on my cold weather gear...
and hit the road.
I was so surprised to see the large glowing orb that was
a setting dark amber moon.
When I then arrived at Sunrise Point...
I sat for what seemed like half an hour...
with only a tiny section of the clouds open near the horizon...
and so, only a tiny sliver of hope for any sun shinning through.
However, I have long since learned in life that to give up
prematurely is to certainly fail.
There have been many instances in my life where
I had stayed until the end...
had not given up until I saw it was impossible...
and more often than not...
something good came from it.
-------------------
I am but an average man...
better at some things...
not so good at others.
Yet...
many times in life in physical contests...
I had beaten much better men...
only because I had wanted it more...
I took more pain than they were willing to take...
and I never gave up.
I had also learned early on...
that to go all out is to doom yourself to paralyzing fatigue.
Operating at 85% actually allows your body to operate with great efficiency...
as your antagonist muscles won't contract...
thereby, in essence...
having you beat yourself.
The key is to be able to relax under stress or tension.
Efficiency allows smoothness...
and smoothness is speed.
And so...
operating at 85% is faster and longer lasting than operating at 100%.
This applies to everything in life...
and so...
it is the same for triking.
Always go out with the idea that you will finish strong.
Don't allow yourself to go into oxygen debt...
(commonly known as gassing out).
Keep much in reserve...
always.
For those new to exercise...
85% is what you can maintain for an hour...
never getting out of breath...
but breathing deeply and rhythmically.
On those days...
where you simply don't feel like exercising...
so long it isn't due to having over exercised earlier...
or because of an illness...
by not going...
you are doing damage to your psyche.
By allowing yourself to give in to lassitude...
you will keep on giving yourself an excuse to quit.
Just think how good you will feel after each session.
Go lighter than usual if you must...
but go.
Once your subconscious understands that you are going to go anyways...
it will stop trying to get you to give up.
This is the power of discipline.
Once you start practicing discipline in your life...
the negative urges will eventually cease...
and you will be left with nothing but the good feelings from your activity.
After a while...
exercising becomes routine...
and not exercising soon becomes unthinkable.
This is when you know you have taken control of your life.
Once you can control your own negative impulses in your mind...
it becomes easy to lead a much more positive life.
You will distance yourself from negative people...
and from toxic situations and environments.
As I had said before...
the mind abhors a vacuum.
Without the negative in life...
all you have is either the positive...
or the deeply serene.
Either way...
you win.
That is when you love all the great simple pleasures in life...
and all of life becomes beautiful.
----------
We senior citizens need exercise and fresh air
just as much as anyone else.
Once you allow it to become a positive addiction...
every positive thing in life is greatly enhanced...
and all negative things are greatly reduced...
including perceived pain of all types.
Once again...
just go to your nearest trike shop...
and try out a recumbent tadpole style trike with e-drive
(this will allow you to stay in the optimum exercise zone for your level of fitness).
You will be hooked on your first ride...
and you won't ever turn back.
Just get on your trike and ride.
The Three Wheeled Philosopher
