Saints & Sinners

Saints need sinners.

So sagely suggested scholar Alan Watts. He also said that work should be play, spontaneous, not driven by external forces.

Some juicy extremes. Saints and sinners, work and play.

Can we look a little closer? Because that is not this.

This is this. This is what is here and now. It may be saintly or it may be sin. But whatever it is (cadence, hills, form, efficiency, effort, torque, horsepower) give it all the focus, attention and presence you can. The biggest mistake we can make is thinking of how much fun the downhill is gonna be once we get to the top of the climb. Make each uphill pedal rotation as saintly as you can. To not do this is, of course, sinful. That is that.

Work. I admit I am lucky*. I do what I like. Better, I love what I do. I make movies about people in motion, having fun, working (playing). Trying to get better. Going hard. Seeking a synergy of mind and body that will allow the achievement of their goals, be them a race, the completion of a century, Ironman or marathon, or weight loss, muscle enhancement or stress management through fitness and exercise. This is that. When that is this it is truly one of life's little benedictions. This being this.

Yes I am biased. I like to race. I like to go hard. I like pushing limits. I have no desire for moderation. I like to test myself, my methods and ability to manage change. To me that is play.

Otherwise it would be work. Yuk. Why would I want that? That would be so that. I want this.

To sum: When you train, do it like the devil. Go like hell. When you sit zazen or hold a Yoga pose (thank you Michele) longer than last time, do it like a saint. This is this and that is that. The only difference between work and play is your perception of it. Work can be play. Sometimes play needs a little work.

That is this. Always.

*Actually it has nothing to do with luck, but that is another post.

Pic: Is the big jump behind for saints and the other for sinners? Is the lead rider working and the stoker playing? Lillihammer, Norway. A lucky RCVman photo.