new bike-badthing

It was the right idea to replace my stolen bike. I miss my oldnew bike very much, but the new one makes me happy too.

Blessings for the Day

1. We saw a kereru quite close above the track on the tour this morning (and by we I mean the special children and I, well except the one that was blind and mostly deaf...)
2. All four inside caterpillars look to be cocooning safely (when I say look to be, I mean two have made J shapes on the plant and one has a silk platform on a high shelf and the other one is not sure what he's doing but I left him well provided for and I don't suppose he will hang from teh lower shelf like one of the previous ones who was lost in an unforuntately squishing incident involving the cleaner...)
3. Went for bike ride (although I did not take my gloves so I might have jiggered arms later!)
4. Gate I usually have to stop at to lift bike over, at top of one of the wee hills I bike up, was open and the cows were all lounging about in the shade lookign all mellow and lowish.
5. I did not get a jolt from the electric fence at the gate I did need to lift my bike over (and I mentioned this because last time I DID - although i woudl have worked out a way to be grateful for that as well!)
6. Saw Rain at the river one way back from biking (I saw him on the way bikign as well, and waved to him across the river, it was funny because he was the only one that saw me heehheeh)
7. Ely's little legs unbent (watched Echo of the Elephants with Todd)

Mountain biking today....

I spent a few hours mountain biking today… although perhaps a better term would be mountain braking, lol!

I have had two serious accidents in my life involving me and the road and the bike . There was an incident with cheap brakes, rain and a curb and there was a time more recently when I was hit by a car. Since that last time I have not been on the bike and the accident shook me up quite a lot. It effected me driving a car for a long time too.
The point being - i have taken to offroad biking and I bike to work whn I can. Both these things I find mentally very challenging. The mind holds on to trauma and works very hard and oftenin subversive ways to prevent any further trauma from happening. The mind speaks very loudly and as it is your own mind it is hard not to listen. It takes a great deal of honesty with oneself and some self reflection to sort out the helpful from the "while I appreciate your intention it's really not working for me anymore".

So .. i went mountain biking but you can perhaps appreciate that for Shine any seemingly ordinary thing is more than that, it's about honesty and trust and personal growth.
Or perhaps you can't see that coz personal growth is not a priority for you and you choose to not find lessons in the goings on of your daily life and you just turned up here to read about mountain biking.
And if you're happy and not struggling and whinging through each day that way, that's ok, you can just look at the pictures...