Pedal Strike

Like most people, I can’t stand people that are like me.

It’s not because I see all of my own personality faults in them [I wisely choose not to acknowledge that], it’s actually far more basic. I just can’t stand people who are obsessed with multi-tasking; thinking about 20,000 things at a million miles a minute. If I’m honest with myself, though, I’m equally as irritating as the people who drive me insane.

No surprise then, that I start my day off with a cup of rocket fuel. Strong enough to keep the gears spinning for the next four hours or so, it’s sipped after a quick warm up on the rollers, while I check my inbox, pack a lunch, do my hair, and compile the day’s to-do list in my head. Bold, strong, and hot, it definitely makes this girl’s morning worth waking up for.

Then chugging the slowly cooling liquid, the bike ride to school is done while rummaging around my brain for lectures, events, rides, and errands that have to get done. People to email back, posts to publish, pictures to take. Climb four flights of stairs and change out of my shoes and sweaty clothes before sitting in class, taking notes, checking the NY Times, looking up the weather for the following week, deleting emails, jotting down random ideas, etc., etc., etc.

It’s not like I can’t sit still. I can. Quite well, in fact. It’s just – like most people my age – I’m addicted to multi-tasking. And when you add law school and cycling to the mix, it seems like it all has to be done at breakneck speed. Get to school fast, get reading done fast, get journal stuff done fast, get home fast. Sleep for a little while and get up fast tomorrow.

Rushing home yesterday for another cup of caffeinated diesel because the thin, watery stuff at school just wasn’t cutting it, I plopped down on my couch to fly through a few articles in the October issue of Bicycling Magazine. Even though really good writing seems extremely hard to find these days, I was still ready to read the thing from cover to cover in some ridiculously short amount of time.

Chance dictated that I would open the page to Bike Snob‘s column, and despite the steaming cup of coffee in my left hand, I finally managed to slow down. And think. And relax just a tiny bit.

Because according to BSNYC, I’ve been doing the equivalent of “shotgunning” my life, when it really should be “sipped” and “savored.” Okay, he was talking about bike rides, but when you’re spinning your way through life like you’re racing on 2:1 gearing, the analogy is appropriate. At least my ADD thinks so.

I read just a few articles, slowly drinking my coffee, actually tasting the stuff instead of trying to directly inject it into my bloodstream ASAP. I left most of the magazine unread, for later.

And then I got on my rollers and tried to make the time fly faster while watching an episode of CSI and allotting out sections of my night for whatever long list of things I had to do. Such is life.

[And here’s a Rapha Scarf Friday for you, complete with caffeine…]

Tags:   bicycling magazine · bsnyc · coffee · multi-tasking · slow8 Comments