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December 2005
12/24/05
12/24/05
What a 30 minute drive can do to your brain
12/24/05
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Saturday, December 24, 2005
9:33:00 PM EST
Feeling Worried
Brain Massage
I went to the ORSSAB (can you pick me out of the group picture?) monthly meeting tonight. I volunteer on this congressionally chartered advisory board to keep up in my degreed field. The ride home is a 30 minute drive through a valley in the dark of night. I have noticed that this ride is always a time of reflection for me. I think that is because I am usually multitasking between work, family and other things and my thoughts play like a tv show playing in the background.
But in this meeting, for three hours, my brain is focused on absorbing, comprehending, and analyzing technical information regarding the environmental clean up of the legacy nuclear waste left over from the nation’s weapons programs.
So the ride home is a kind of decompression for my brain. It is like when you are having a muscle spasm massaged and kneaded. It hurts but as soon as they stop, the muscle can relax and return to it’s normal relaxed state so it can function.
Grin and Bear It
I used to cycle 2,000 to 3,000 miles a year….for fun. The two toughest and most grueling parts of a hard bike ride are headwinds and climbs (hills and mountains). I road with a regular group of cyclists (but by no means were they a group of regular cyclists).
When we would hit the base of a climb, I would hear the click click clicking of everyone shifting down to their lower gears. I quickly go from an aerobic activity to anaerobic, which means my muscles aren’t able to remove the toxic byproducts effectively anymore. My quadriceps and calves feel the burn of lactic acid, which will bring on the cramps.
There was this girl in our group named Monica. I noticed that as she strained and struggled like the rest of us, that she grinned a silly grin. I told her that she must be a natural climber and like hills. She told me that no, she hated them. That was just her unique way of dealing with it. Another cyclist always repeated the Lord’s Prayer to herself over and over again. Me? I had a mantra….it went something like this.
"#*(#....why am I doing this? This sucks #@$. When I get done with this, I’m never getting on this *$(#()#))@ bike again!"
But you know what? At this point on the climb, we were all in the same situation. At that moment, there was no more training you could do or equipment you could modify to make yourself perform better. You were stuck with what you had. We just had different ways of dealing with it.
I thought about how this applies to life. When you are in a situation in life, it is too late for anymore "training" (learning). No self help books, no personal life coaches, no seminars can help you…you are stuck with what you have. You can’t control the steepness of the hill. You can’t change your equipment right then. The only thing you can control is your attitude. You can control your mental reaction to your situation. So the next time I am in a tough situation, will I say "this sucks" or will I grin a silly grin?
Is your check engine light on?
My "check engine" light came on today even though this truck seems to be running fine. I comforted myself by saying it must be a preprogrammed mileage click to get me into the dealership’s service department or just a defective sensor somewhere. Nothing to worry about.
Why is it that everything in my physical practical world becomes a metaphor or simile to what goes on in my head? Oh well….here it goes:
Is your "check engine" light on? Is there a "red alert" in your life to which you should be paying attention? Perhaps you have rationalized away that signal telling you something is wrong. Are you willing to let your life go on in "cruise control" until your transmission falls out onto the highway hurting not only you but also your fellow commuters? Maybe it is time to take yourself into the "dealership" and deal with that check engine light.
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9:33:00 PM EST
Feeling Worried
What a 30 minute drive can do to your brain
I went to the ORSSAB (can you pick me out of the group picture?) monthly meeting tonight. I volunteer on this congressionally chartered advisory board to keep up in my degreed field. The ride home is a 30 minute drive through a valley in the dark of night. I have noticed that this ride is always a time of reflection for me. I think that is because I am usually multitasking between work, family and other things and my thoughts play like a tv show playing in the background.
But in this meeting, for three hours, my brain is focused on absorbing, comprehending, and analyzing technical information regarding the environmental clean up of the legacy nuclear waste left over from the nation’s weapons programs.
So the ride home is a kind of decompression for my brain. It is like when you are having a muscle spasm massaged and kneaded. It hurts but as soon as they stop, the muscle can relax and return to it’s normal relaxed state so it can function.
Grin and Bear It
I used to cycle 2,000 to 3,000 miles a year….for fun. The two toughest and most grueling parts of a hard bike ride are headwinds and climbs (hills and mountains). I road with a regular group of cyclists (but by no means were they a group of regular cyclists).
When we would hit the base of a climb, I would hear the click click clicking of everyone shifting down to their lower gears. I quickly go from an aerobic activity to anaerobic, which means my muscles aren’t able to remove the toxic byproducts effectively anymore. My quadriceps and calves feel the burn of lactic acid, which will bring on the cramps.
There was this girl in our group named Monica. I noticed that as she strained and struggled like the rest of us, that she grinned a silly grin. I told her that she must be a natural climber and like hills. She told me that no, she hated them. That was just her unique way of dealing with it. Another cyclist always repeated the Lord’s Prayer to herself over and over again. Me? I had a mantra….it went something like this.
"#*(#....why am I doing this? This sucks #@$. When I get done with this, I’m never getting on this *$(#()#))@ bike again!"
But you know what? At this point on the climb, we were all in the same situation. At that moment, there was no more training you could do or equipment you could modify to make yourself perform better. You were stuck with what you had. We just had different ways of dealing with it.
I thought about how this applies to life. When you are in a situation in life, it is too late for anymore "training" (learning). No self help books, no personal life coaches, no seminars can help you…you are stuck with what you have. You can’t control the steepness of the hill. You can’t change your equipment right then. The only thing you can control is your attitude. You can control your mental reaction to your situation. So the next time I am in a tough situation, will I say "this sucks" or will I grin a silly grin?
Is your check engine light on?
My "check engine" light came on today even though this truck seems to be running fine. I comforted myself by saying it must be a preprogrammed mileage click to get me into the dealership’s service department or just a defective sensor somewhere. Nothing to worry about.
Why is it that everything in my physical practical world becomes a metaphor or simile to what goes on in my head? Oh well….here it goes:
Is your "check engine" light on? Is there a "red alert" in your life to which you should be paying attention? Perhaps you have rationalized away that signal telling you something is wrong. Are you willing to let your life go on in "cruise control" until your transmission falls out onto the highway hurting not only you but also your fellow commuters? Maybe it is time to take yourself into the "dealership" and deal with that check engine light.
Written by swibirun Blog about this entry |
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This entry has 2 comments: (Add your own)
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We have a bridge between Somers Point on the mainland and Longport on the island. It's a killer. When I used to ride my bike (although I usually say "drive my bike" because we actually steer and are the engine but, Miss Patti hates when I say it that way) over that bridge, I would see these traffic signs. Now, this was a very steep incline and very long, intense. The sign became my mantra: No stopping or standing. I would repeat that the whole way up the incline.
Ahh...when you got to the top, though, it was a wonderful ride down the other side!
2/19/07 11:56 AM