I went out riding with my chica, at the weekend. Gorgeous weather. Beautiful countryside. Quiet(ish) lanes.
Just the ticket.
Except… my chica’s mind had a lot to say about it (and she’s 10, so it comes straight out her mouth every time):
- “How far to the next hill?”
- “How steep will it be?”
- “What if I can't make it?”
- “What if there's a car coming?”
Now, the problem isn't that the mind comes up with this kind of rubbish - mine does too! (Just not out loud.)
Here’s a flavour of what mine was saying, for you:
- “What if the hills put her off cycling?”
- “What if she falls off on a downhill?”
- “What if she has a mechanical I can't fix?”
But it doesn't make sense for me to pay attention to any of that stuff, and it doesn’t bother me.
Why not?
Because, although it really looks like it, the issue isn't actually what it's saying.
It may strike lucky and guess right; more likely it won’t come to pass. That’s irrelevant.
No, the mind's underlying fear is:
But that’s ok, because minds don't have to handle these things, if and when they arrive.
Life energy/wisdom/common-sense-in-the-moment handles all that stuff.
Sure, it’s mixed in with everything we’ve previously experienced and the skills we have (i.e. I’ll be the one fixing the punctures!) but how we respond and how we feel… that’s all out of our hands. That’s when life guides us.
Because we're built to thrive in reality: that's the present moment, as far as you're concerned.
The Now.
Everything else is just mental commentary. The habitual output of the conditioned computer-mind.
You know what else we find in the Now?
The experience of going out on the bikes and enjoying the sights, sounds, smells and sensations of using our bodies for exercise!
It's really easy to miss that, when our attention is instead hijacked by all the mind's what-iffing.
Good to spot.
Better to nip in the bud.
Enjoy your day (rather than what your mind has to say about it).
💟
Giles