A Nice Winter Run

Ran by the Bobby Cann site this morning, decided to stop and read the poem. It was beautiful.

...

As I woke up this morning, I could feel the sun beating down through the window and the welcoming sound of birds chirping which was a strange but nice gift in February. I could have been convinced that it was a Saturday morning in May but as I checked the weather I was reminded that it was currently 4 degrees with a -3 windchill.

Since it was a little later in the morning, I decided that since I didn't have enough time to spin, but wanted a good workout, I'd run into work, something I usually don't do. Generally, I'm used to people thinking I'm crazy for commuting by bike at all, let alone in the winter, so having people judge you and thinking you're crazy for running in these conditions just sort of rubs off anyways.

It felt great to get out there and run. I played my usual mind trick, convincing my mind into thinking it was just a chilly spring morning and eventually my body convinces itself as well as its warms up from the exercise. Usually in the winter I'm riding by too quickly and too focused to take much in, but it was nice to slowly run by all the rows of buildings that bring the city to life in summer. There were long patches of iced over snow where footprints had been frozen into place. The detail of which the sunlight sparked off them as if they were glass and the carefree nature of running through them in frozen temperatures on your way to a fairly lifeless job...it's at times these fleeting moments that make you feel like your alive.

The high comfort of routine and living a blended-in life suffocates so many people's life experience. To simply wake up, work, watch a sitcom, and go to sleep - rinse, lather, repeat - has to be a major regret in so many people's lives if they are truly aware of their existence. And there's no way I'm not guilty of this as well at times as the challenge of waking up to seize the day, but with a focus on a sustainable future, is at times a tough line to walk. But it's something to always work towards. Adventure is a life requirement.

As I ran by the Bobby Cann site that I often ride by, I finally got the chance to stop and take it in. He was struck on a route that I and thousands of other cyclists have taken home hundreds of times and I think as a Chicago commuter, there's something that we all share, some sort of bond that connects us all. We all see the ghost bikes around town and understand the risks probably moreso than a driver understands the risk they face each time they jump in a car or a pedestrian as they walk through the city. I didn't know Bobby, but I certainly remember the news breaking hitting home. I remember having a track race a day or two after it happened and dedicating the win I had that night to him to myself once I crossed the finish line. There's not a time that goes by that I don't cross that site on a bike and think about it.

I read the poem about him posted at the site, clearly from someone that loved him dearly. It was beautiful.

Anyone who's gone through a Chicago winter can understand how long it is, how down you can get, and how easy it is to let optimism give way to pessimism and lock yourself into a depressing routine. This was the perfect reminder. Cliche or not, life is short. To not take advantage of everything it has to offer is a crime on the greatest gift of all. I'm reminded of one of my favorite quotes from the Greek poet Pindar, "Life is but a shadow's dream". Not just 'To be' but to experience...to have adventure, to truly take advantage of the infinitely impossible stroke of luck that brought us into existence, is what it means to live.

This was my reminder.

I can't wait for the upcoming season, I can't wait for the spring, I can't wait to live in the best place on Earth in the summer.

But until then, I'm going to have an adventure.

I'm glad I ran in this morning, thanks Bobby.