August 28, 2005

Lately I’ve been addicted to spinning classes. In my most recent spinning class, that I take every Saturday morning at 9am, the instructor Tom, put us through a grueling sprint…which meant we had to ride as fast as we could manage. And so I began moving my legs with exponential speed, challenging myself to see how much my heart, my muscles and my mind can withstand in this period of chaotic control. In this moment of personal contest, I recognized, that like anything in life, I love knowing that I gave something my all: that I wouldn’t regret a moment because I lived in the moment of just ‘being’ present.

I feel like we live our lives in ‘auto drive’…where we are just moving without thinking…because we have become so accustomed to the daily habits and routines that we’ve established in our lives. In order to make continuous progress in life, it is necessary to sever old patterns and create new patterns by becoming consciously aware and mindful of new challenges found in normal activities. I have found that if you desire to appreciate life at an extraordinary level, you have to perceive beauty differently and see the extra, in the ordinary.

Each day I wake up excited about something…and what is kinda quirky interesting- is that I don’t know what I’m excited about, I just know I’m anticipating something. So in my day, I begin looking for the new surprises this new day presents me with…whether it be an email from Rick, a text from Louis, newly painted toe nails, long dangling earrings, Black Eyed Peas’ new song, a flirtatious remark from the old man, Joe, in spinning class… Learning to live in the ‘moment’ and grasping the gift of just ‘being’ is what will allow you to become eternally happy because you have the mental capability of taking the most ordinary experiences, and making it ‘extra’-ordinary.

When I was spinning in class I realized that one day I won’t have my endurance, my stamina, or my strength…one day I won’t be able to fit into a size 4 or confidently wear spandex. I then began realizing that one day I won’t see my parents…or I won’t be able to be 24 again…or I won’t be working on certain work projects again…or I won’t be surrounded by certain people again… most importantly, I realized that this moment will never be as it is ever again…and that made me absorb the moment: that made me cultivate a deeper reverence for life.

See what a simple spinning class got out of me? The question is now, what in your life can get more out of you?