Wednesday, February 17, 2016

Processing

Ice on the Cedar River
I don't often get into too much of my personal life on this blog. I am a bit private, maybe, but more than anything, I don't think it is stuff most folks want to, or need to know. That said, things do affect me and sometimes that leaks over to the blog here. The lines are not hard drawn or clearly defined in that regard.

Yesterday I took the long way home. I needed to get into my head, as there are a ton of things swirling around in there due to recent events. Now I know ya'all are wondering at this point what is happening. Well, my immediate family is all okay, but we've had to deal with processing a couple of big events that happened over the last week. We also have had a kind of an"emergency" here that required a big expenditure on the house. It has all been difficult, and I have been stressed out and confused emotionally. So, there. That's all I'm going to say about that here.

The point is that, well.....for me, at any rate, a bicycle ride is absolutely necessary to get myself cleared out in the head. To me, it is such a wonderful way to get things sorted out emotionally and mentally. Spiritually too. Let's not forget that.

So, anyway, I encourage you all to ride to make your world better, in whatever way that makes sense to you. For myself, I had to go the long way home, and it helped me sort some things out, and some things that didn't make sense, well...... Still processing.

Here are some images from my ride I took when I stopped to contemplate things.....

The Cedar froze when the water was high, then the levels dropped, creating this cool "ice fence". 
A view from the dike near Cattle Congress.
Perhaps my favorite image I've captured in a long, long time. 
Well, hope you all enjoyed the little trip I took. Hopefully I will be piling on some more milage today. I still have some things to sort out......

6 comments:

Unknown said...


Mark, glad to read that you're taking the time to clear your head. It helps to stay even keeled and reasonable, even through those hard times.

There is peace even in the storm.

Wishing you well,

Loïc

john said...

Mark -
Alot of us - perhaps most of us read these personal blog post because we really like personal stuff.
Good luck with the issues your biking your work your community your church - with all that interesting personal things.

teamdarb said...

This is why I have no reservation about giving away a bicycle. The clarity which comes with cycling is huge. I had a friend who was stressed about his personal life and refused to vent. I have him a fancy bike most would scoff at the idea to keep. A few days later he mostly smiles. A week later he was bragging of the good fortune he's had since started riding. Not to me. Then some time later he would come to me and reveal how close to suicide he was, due to the stress. We exchanged a grand hug. He was a friend, now I call him brother.

Kate Geisen said...

Beautiful pictures. Wishing you the answers you're looking for.

FarleyBob said...

Good luck Mark. I hope everything sorts out the best for you.

MICHAEL said...

Yes. I do the same thing. Sometimes it takes a few miles for the inner self to tap into the real problem (and hopefully, solution!), but a bike ride is always therapeutic.

Thanks for continuing to be an inspiration to us all.