I went to school in Santa Barbara and we used to ride our bikes everywhere. There was something so relaxing, even comforting about riding with the moist beach air streaming through my hair, I would ride without hands and stretch my arms out on either side, feeling as weightless as possible. I have never (until then or even since then) felt like I have had so much opportunity and so much of an unobscured future to explore. Thinking now about this feeling of limitless possibility that soaked my college years makes me feel both privileged and oppressed. Privileged to have felt that way at one time in my life (which is more than most of the world's population can say) and oppressed by the daily grind of the corporate environment I have found myself in since entering the workforce. There a heartlessness and an inhuman approach to the operations of the corporations of today and it's amazing how quickly the "powerful" have gotten to work chiseling away at my grand dreams and ideas for my future. It's almost a full time job working to keep myself positive.
So I have taken to spending my days off as far away from the negativity and criticism as possible. Last chance I could, I took the day to head down to Santa Monica. We rented beach cruisers and rode and rode and rode and before we knew it, we were in Venice, we stopped for a slice of pizza before heading back up the coast. A small element of freedom and weightlessness returned to me while I rode along the ocean that day and I continue to cling to the moments that bring those feelings back. From this, I have learned that maybe I should focus my energies on searching for a way to bring these feelings of limitless opportunity to the rest of the world. In the meantime, may I suggest riding bikes?
The Coral Sea: In This Moment's Time
