East Coast Bike Ride
  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Itinerary
  • New Page
  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Itinerary
  • New Page
Search by typing & pressing enter

YOUR CART

Hugging the Coast

5/21/2018 14 Comments

Days 37 & 38: Rest days in New York City

Picture
Dee, Virginia, and I hanging with David on Sunday afternoon at Brooklyn Museum
June 10, 2018

​New York can be a magical city. I’m understanding that better the more I visit — which has been more frequent with both our kids living here and work sometimes bringing me to town.

Saturday in the city was dazzling. The air was clear and dry, the sun bright, the temperature comfortable. All day I watched the parade of humanity—people of all ages, ethnicities, walks of life. We rented Citi Bikes and rode through Central Park — because we haven’t gotten enough time on bikes, you know. The park was full: a women’s 10k had just finished and the usual hordes of Saturday morning cyclists and runners mixed with the women, and we wove in and around all of them.
Picture

Earlier, over breakfast at Starbucks (and a steady stream of humanity circling through the coffee shop, too) Dee and I got into a fairly deep conversation that started with travel and life goals and leapt to dying: how we die, fear of dying. You know, light stuff over our yogurt and oatmeal.

The profundity multiplied during a play with Virginia that afternoon. Secret Life of Humans, at the tiny 59E59 theater on the East Side; I highly recommend it. It’s a simple play that asks profound questions as it surveys the history of humanity while telling the story of one man’s life. Where did we all come from? How does our past help us face challenges today? And what is the end game, what is the human species looking to accomplish? That question chills me.

Meanwhile, the news this week of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain both committing suicide has been in the back of my mind. I’ve read opinion pieces trying to explain their deaths. I’m left feeling sad for their pain but it honed my sense that this life is all we have, we should stop sweating the stuff that doesn’t matter and treasuring what does matter.

From the play, I walked alone through Central Park to meet my daughter. I passed a pop-up rink of skate dancers — men and women my age and older dancing on rollerblades to the Talking Heads and other fun music. My first thought was, huh, don’t these 60-somethings feel a little silly dancing in public? My second thought, quick on the heels of my first: good for them. This life is fleeting, our challenges can be enormous, why not embrace life and dance?

I didn't join them, mind you, but I did flash big, encouraging smiles.

Picture
I got to visit with my daughter, Kate, one night and celebrate her well-deserved promotion to HR director at a Harlem nonprofit. And I got to go to the David Bowie exhibit with my boy, Tommy, and celebrate his 26th birthday.
Picture
Profound thoughts continued this morning when, for a variety of reasons, Dee, Virginia and I attended the morning Unitarian-Universalist church service a few blocks from our hotel. The sermon was about loving a dying world, how to have hope in the face of environmental destruction. I was in tears by the end of the service, it was all so relevant — finding religion in the great outdoors, following our passions as the best defense against cynicism and despair.

I’m soaking up these messages from our two days off while also working to accept gracefully all the kindness and generosity being shown to us on this trip — from friends and family as well as from strangers. It’s dawning on me that even though we will reach the Canadian border in three weeks, this trip is part of a larger journey that won’t be ending any time soon.

And all this deep thinking comes after just two cups of coffee today at breakfast, I swear. Oh, and there was a mid-morning latte...
Picture
Time to reflect: Visiting the UU church on Upper West Side
14 Comments
Poyee Oster
6/11/2018 05:01:13 am

That.... you just answered your question “Why”? I can’t wait to join your journey next week.

Reply
Lisa
6/11/2018 06:51:20 pm

Yes, Poyee, so soon!

Reply
Babs
6/11/2018 05:06:00 am

Spending so much time pedaling the Greenway has had a profound effect on the both of you. Peddling as close to Nature as you can get on your journey northward, the trees have whispered their secrets to you. The kindness of strangers has give you hope. The challenges you both have encountered have only strengthened you. Your heart and vision have expanded...what a sacred journey!

Reply
Lisa
6/11/2018 06:50:45 pm

Oh, thanks Babs! The effects of these wonderful weeks are indeed starting to clarify.

Reply
Mary Beth Powell
6/11/2018 08:13:54 am

Glad you built in a couple of play/rest days in your schedule. Hope that refreshes you! Looks like the next three weeks will include lots of completed greenway segments, many of them in lovely areas. Enjoy! Re: the deep conversations about life, death, finding meaning — I’ve been having too (and I didn’t have to ride 2,000 miles to get there) ha! Thanks for keeping us posted as to your continuing great adventure.

Reply
Lisa
6/11/2018 06:49:09 pm

Funny, Mary Beth! Let me know if you figure out anything about the meaning of life!

Reply
Linda Bostwick
6/11/2018 09:38:30 am

Great blog! Hi to Tommy and Kate! Glad to see you were able to replace your pink shirt with a green one! And, BTW, is that the same blue dress we share! Also, I haven't heard any complaints, so the joints much be holding up well! Keep up the good work!

Reply
Lisa
6/11/2018 06:46:18 pm

Astute observations, Linda. My green shirt came from Marshall’s in NYC, green seemed appropriate. And yes, the blue T-shirt dress travels well!

I feel really good. I think this long break from running while strengthening my quads has been healthy.

Waiting for baby news!!

Reply
Rob Dexter
6/11/2018 10:53:15 am

Looking forward to riding with you in CT, but don't expect any deep philosophy- I am a live day by day kinda guy, but we will have fun riding!

Reply
Lisa
6/11/2018 06:42:18 pm

Day by day is good, Rob. You can only go deep every so often. See you very soon!

Reply
Virginia
6/11/2018 01:12:32 pm

I was in tears also at the end of that UU service on Sunday. So appropriate indeed, and Lisa, you completely captured the spirit/essence of our weekend with your musings about what truly matters in life and what to priortize... I am humbled and deeply grateful to know you and Dee and count you as my good friends. PEDAL on, you fabulous ladies!

Reply
Lisa
6/11/2018 03:22:22 pm

We love you, Virginia! You made the weekend incredibly special. So glad you were interested in church!

You are our honorary bike trip partner after hosting us three different times on the trip, riding with us, listening to us, playing with us...to our next rides together!

Reply
Brian Patrick Mulligan
6/12/2018 06:29:59 pm

Wow! Lisa, I know this whole cycling trip has been a spiritual journey for you and Dee. So, it is interesting that this post came during a rest period in the hustle and bustle of a big city! I love that your ride has embraced so many people you've encountered and vice versa. It is Hugging the World rather than just the coast. Keep riding and keep writing!

Reply
Lisa
6/12/2018 06:40:57 pm

Thank you Brian! Hope we see you in RI this weekend!

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly