The Hoppy Okapi

Dec 10: Prompt: Wisdom. What was the wisest decision you made this year, and how did it play out?

Hmmmm, this is tough! I actually can’t think of any decisions that were particularly significant or life-changing, so my wisest decision must have been rather pedestrian. I guess I could pick an insignificant but well-made decision and wax poetic about its wisdom, but I’m not really feeling it.

Dec 11: Prompt: 11 Things. What are 11 things your life doesn’t need in 2011? How will you go about eliminating them? How will getting rid of these 11 things change your life?

This is another hard one! I feel like I’ve already started top eliminate a lot of unnecessary things in my life, so I’m not sure there are eleven I can list for 2011 right now – more likely circumstances will change during the year and I’ll find that some things can/should be let go as a result. Nonetheless, here are a couple of things I can think of:

1) My mountain bike: I’ve only ridden it three times this year, having switched to my road bike in July 2009, and I can honestly say that my road bike just suits me better. I think the mountain bike fits me poorly, and I never quite find it comfortable to ride. The pedals have very sharp spikes meant to help hold your feet in place, but in practice they just gouge my legs when I lose contact due to a clumsy shift (very clumsy shifting, another strike!). Also, as much as I want to like mountain biking, I never quite do – partially due to an ill-fitting bike, perhaps, but partially because I can never quite abandon my fear of falling on trails. Donating my mountain bike will free up room in my bike stable in case I find the perfect utility/beater/touring/whatever bike that will better complement my road bike to fulfill all my biking needs. More importantly, it will free me from the angst I feel about not loving mountain biking – oops, can’t do it, no bike!

2) A biking mileage goal: This year my goal was 2000 miles, which I easily exceeded once I started bike commuting three times a week during the summer. And then I cruised on by the 3000 mile marker, just as daylight savings was coming to an end and the light started fading. So I’ve decided to push on toward 4000 miles, but since I don’t like bike commuting in the dark very often, it’s much harder to rack up the miles, and so sometimes going for a bike ride feels like an obligation instead of like fun. I think I’ll probably hit 4000 miles before the end of the year, but definitely don’t feel like I need to set annother mileage goal to match or top it in 2011. Instead I’ll continue bike commuting when it’s light enough, and set event goals like the Laguna Challenge and biking up Mt Baldy before the Tour of California stage.

3) My compulsion to do fancy things with our CSA vegetables. I think I need to learn some more simple side dishes so that I can more seamlessly incorporate our CSA into our meals. It’s fun to do grand cooking projects, but very time-consuming to do so much cooking and the resultant cleaning! There are a few things, like Swiss chard, that I have easy go-to dishes for, so I know it can be done.

4) My habit of putting things off until I meet certain conditions – I meant to go to one of the folk-song group meetings this year, but kept putting it off until I practiced guitar more and got better at playing some chords, and then of course I never quite made it. If I can discard this habit in 2011, I think jkumping into the activities even when I don’t feel 100% ready will help me have more new, exciting experiences.

Dec 12: Prompt: Body integration. This year, when did you feel the most integrated with your body? Did you have a moment where there wasn’t mind and body, but simply a cohesive YOU, alive and present? I think I might be getting repetitive, but it really is all about the bike! I think body integration happens most when descending, because it blends speed and focus. Going fast downhill requires concentration and balance, and I feel a sense of wonder as I watch the scenery speed by.

Dec 13: Prompt: Action. When it comes to aspirations, its not about ideas. It’s about making ideas happen. What’s your next step? This one is easy – accordion lessons! I need to email an accordion teacher and set up lessons for early next year so I can officially call myself an accordionist.