Tag: hiking

I am a Father of Smiles!

I am a creator, of smiles. I have birthed thousands of smiles which otherwise might have gone unborn. It makes me feel almost Godlike to be this source of creation.

Here is the context for this seemingly inflated statement. I am riding my bicycle about 3-4 hours most days of the year. While doing so, I usually smile at everybody that passes me going the other way. That would be anywhere from 100 people to hundreds of runners, bikers and walkers.

Almost none of these people has a smile on their face before I smile at them. Almost all seem surprised I smiled at them. But here is the good part. About 30% smile back despite the fact that they had no intention of smiling at that moment. And so I say without fear of rebuttal that I caused them to smile. But for my action of smiling at them, no smile would come into the world at that time. It is a delicious feeling to bring people to a smile.

Although the majority of folks do not smile in response, there is another category of folks I want to talk about. They are the nodders. They do not smile but they do nod in response to my smile. They may account for another 20% of the folks I smile at.

To be frank, I am quite pleased with my record. Many of you know that I refer to biking as miles and miles of smiles. Such a mix of people too. Dog walkers, bike racers and recreational riders, runners and many pedestrians just strolling the pathway. Special treat, the sometimes smile and laugh of children.

I also have a bell and/or air horn on my bikes. The bell is used to indicate I am going to pass people in front of me going in the same direction, that I intend to pass them on their left. It often brings smiles to those going in my direction. The horn, used sparingly often gets people to leap out of my way in fright, but just as often people smile at how loud the horn sounds. (There are many folks who are wearing earbuds or headsets and listening to something who cannot seem to hear me yelling a warning or the ring of the bell). I am very sparing of the horn when there are animals around, pets and wildlife. But children also get a break from the sudden use of my air horn which I try only to use at distance from the human obstacles. On the other hand, children at a distance (playing in the park or walking to school) get a quick toot of the horn as I find they inevitably smile at the sound.

There are many users of the trails who have a stern look on their faces as they approach, each lost in their own thoughts and struggles. Many are determined not to make eye contact, as if they believe that acknowledging another person would disrupt their focus. So sometimes I have to shout a hello to them to break their will not to acknowledge me, hoping to elicit a smile or at least a nod in response. My friend Chris says maybe they look like that because they are in pain and discomfort from their exercise, pushing through the fatigue of their workout. It’s interesting how a simple greeting can transform the atmosphere, turning a solitary endeavor into a small moment of connection.

Me, I am having fun most of the time when I bike or hike or walk. Even if I am not enjoying myself, I try to smile to others. Just seems like the right thing to do!

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The best art museum ever!

I ride my bicycle as much as 6 days a week sometimes. I thoroughly enjoy riding. When I am in hiking country, I hike daily for similar named reasons.

I like hiking/biking to or along water features especially, creeks, rivers and lakes. I love biking woods and meadows. I am not enthusiastic about city streets or urban paths running under high voltage wires.

I was riding along the north branch of the Chicago river yesterday. I found myself having difficulty watching the trail because I was mesmerized by the woods on either side of me. The lush foliage aided by the river, the greens and browns of the tree trunks, the dead trees and leaves in various states of decay and the wildflowers, oh my. I suddenly understood, I am in the greatest multi-dimensional art museum there is. Nature baby!

I am presently in a city with one of the great art museums, The Art Institute of Chicago and also the Museum of Contemporary Art. But I seem drawn to the palette of nature more than any. No 2 days are identical. No 2 minutes are identical on these river trails I ride.

There is a woman I met, Kelly. She is a natural artist in residence in Oregon and she takes items from nature and creates a new art piece, simple and beautiful. She sees it. I cannot do that, but I can enjoy her art and the raw materials she infuses it with.

Even in Dallas, where I live, and the main creeks the bike paths run alongside, are filthy with debris and pollution, I found an appreciation for urban landscapes. Plastic bags and water bottles mingle with turtles, mallards and egrets. I used to get so agitated at the trash but I surrendered to the reality that it is a constant and I am powerless to remedy it and so step back and look and see how nature adapts.

I realize even while I am moving in nature I am smelling the roses. All smells are not equal. In a car I might miss the smell of an oak or pine tree or the smell of death of a small mammal. The stealth of biking or hiking allows me to spot a family of deer, I stop my movement, we stare at each other and get as excited as a little kid at Disneyland.

A good bike ride is no less educational or entertaining as a trip to the Louvre. But the air is fresher and the ride is cheaper. My museum has no humidity control, air conditioning, uniformed guards or expensive lighting. Some days may be unbearably hot and humid, but I never ask for a refund.

I do enjoy a great art exhibit. I appreciate the artists. I am adorned with tattoo art. I own some art books. I have dozens of pieces of art on my walls, floors and garden. So, I am hardly a neanderthal.

When I think about the marvelous art I enjoy almost daily, I can actually claim moments of gratitude. I may be an agnostic but that means that I am awed by whatever force(s) created this thing we call life/death.

I used to have an aversion to being present for death. But the past several years have brought intimate contact with the passing of family and friends. Nature is one of the most visible examples of impermanence. My study of impermanence began with my study of Buddhism. It now allows me to reside in life alongside death. Nature does not sanitize death or decay like people desperately try to do. From dust were ye made and dust ye shall be. And then in some way I will be part of the great art exhibit called Earth.

City after city has demonstrated what a positive impact greenways have on the locals. No one asked me but I urge you to get out long enough to hear every bird nearby, smell every scent and see the various colors only visible when all the barriers are absent.

Just as rivers full of water

fill the ocean full,

even so does that here given

benefit the dead (the hungry ghosts).

May whatever you wish or want quickly come to be,

may all your aspirations be fulfilled,

as the moon on the full moon night,

or as a radiant, bright gem.