Reverb10 :: Body Integration

I've decided to be a part of Reverb10. It's a 31-day blogging challenge where you reply to the daily writing prompts that are designed to get you to reflect on this past year as well as provide some insight for the upcoming year. I'm going to give myself 5-7 minutes for each post.

Day 12 :: December 12, 2010 :: Body Integration

• This year, when did you feel the most integrated with your body? Did you have a moment where there wasn't mind and body, but simply a cohesive YOU, alive and present? (Author: Patrick Reynolds)

It's true that I really did plan to blow off this prompt for Reverb10. Just wasn't feeling it. Probably not feeling it because I have not been in tune to my body this year. So sad.

I mean, last year I got up at 5a twice a week, just so I could go rowing on the Nile. But that's quite a sacrifice with my teaching schedule and getting to work on time. And I went sandboarding last year too. What an adventure ... busted my knee up pretty good though.

Me after my sandboarding spill in Siwa, Egypt (Nov, 2009)

So that leaves me with nothing but some sedentary habits for this year: take a one hour commute each way to work and teach all day at least twice a week. My only saving grace for taking care of myself on those long and crazy days is that I make myself go to the gym on campus: it's new and it's fancy. After 30-45 minutes in the gym on the elliptical machine, I'm all good, refreshed and sane again.

But there's still hope for more body integration. I'd planned on buying a bike after I had such a good time in the "Biking Depression Away" event in Cairo. Supposed to go and buy a bike tomorrow in the hopes that I'll ride in the morning at least once a week. In the voice of a superhero, "Mind and body - UNITE!"

Bike Fixed

Oh, this is such good news. My timing is a bit off (end of summer), but I did fix my bike. That's right I fixed my bike. I guess I should note that there was really nothing wrong w/it. I had tried to put air in the tire to no avail.

Well, there is this place called Free Ride. They will not fix your bike, but they will help you determine the problem and tell you/show you how to fix it. Very empowering. Well, Shawn was my go-to guy. He was a great teacher: patient and friendly. When he's not working on bikes, he working on his 'world class' garden'; well, maybe not 'world class' but definitely bragging material and edible too! ;-)

So in addition to properly inflating the tires, I put on new back brakes. Very cool (and easy). Those are the old brakes below.
The most interesting part of this story is the fact that I do not own a bike rack, so I put the back seat of the Jeep down and stuck the bike in the back. It was a bit awkward, but I did not have far to travel. Crazy thing is though, the bike almost slid out the open back window!!! Ut oh ... I had to take a hand off of the steering wheel to pull it back in (tore the seat cushion and the Jeep spare tire cover in the process. But that is minor damage considering ...).

Love the concept of Free Ride though. They have all the tools that you need. Everything else is dirt cheap like patches for tube are just 25 cents and the actual tube is $1. I highly recommend it. Lots of cool folks too.

So now it's off to get a bike rack. Incidentally, I found a guy who is selling a bike rack for Jeep Wranglers. Yea me!