The Apparently Flat Trail...

I was riding my bike today on the American tobacco Trail in West Cary North Carolina. As I began my ride, I easily cruised down what appeared to be an apparently flat trail.  Little did I know... Now mind you, with four kids, I rarely get any time to work out. My idea of working out is in fact changing a big diaper, but today was going to be different.  So I set out on the trail, and began to glide easily toward my destination. As I was cruising down this apparently flat trail, I noticed a few "out of shape" folks passing me by.  I thought, wow, maybe I'm in better shape than I think. I continued down the trail, my head a little bit bigger than it ought to be, thinking, this aint so bad.   Flash forward in the Delorion in my head as I did a 180 at the trail head and turned for home about 6 or 7 miles in.  That same stretch of apparently flat trail, definitely seemed a little bit steeper this time. And you know what, I noticed somebody heading in the opposite direction, probably just starting out his ride, looking at me the same way I look at those "chumps" huffing and puffing on their way in.  I thought to myself, I need to take back all those comments I made in my head earlier.  After all, that apparently flat trail, wasn't so flat.

It's all about perspective. When i was riding out, I was full of energy and hope and inspiration for the day...and on the way back, well, I was just tired. We need to remember that perspective constantly changes, as does the reality of the one looking through the glasses.  So, what do we do? How do we protect ourselves from intracerebral edema (a big head) and not seeing from a clear perspective.  Although there is no good answer, I would say the best we can do, is to have awareness. The emotional intelligence and awareness of not only yourself, but of others and the environment around us. If I would've thought for a few seconds, about the big picture and maybe that gentle slope of the hill..and brought with me a tiny dose of perspective to know that that guy I passed probably had been riding for an hour or so, I might have had a different take on the entire situation. How many people do we pass in the halls, on the streets, and make all too quick judgments or decisions about them or the situation? Next time you're on the "trail," take a second to think about it with a new perspective and see how the situation unfolds in your mind. The trail might just not be so flat.
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