Discovering the gears…

November 26, 2020 Ken Frankis

I enjoy cycling. Urban routes really and occasionally coastal sorties. For a couple of years I’ve been using a fold-up bike. Wonderful engineering and perfect to chuck in the back of the car.

So I changed recently to a six gear from a three gear version and was keen to explore and experiment with the new ratios.

In honesty, I was underwhelmed following my initial rides; couldn’t really feel much difference or benefit. Just more manual work to do with the gear shifters.

Then, this week I’ve been checking out some new routes; more challenging inclines, descents, twists and turns. Interesting. The greater challenges demand greater skills, concentration and also physical commitment. I noticed how the extra gears concealed subtle advantages. The discovery came about through feel rather than scientific application. It felt fantastic to employ these subtleties, smoothly clicking through the range to adapt to and manage the increased tasks in front of me.

There was a oneness between the machine, the rider and the terrain. It felt great. A sense of achievement and teamwork.

I always relish these little turning points in my day and notice how such events are often a reflection of other areas of my life. It’s like they happen to raise awareness of our place on the planet; at work, at rest and in play.

Yeah, using subtle changes to meet new challenges works for me. The cause/stimuli are always there. The subtleties lie in our acuity and responses. Having a few more gears (options and strategies) can really help us negotiate testing times and actually embrace and grow from these situations rather than feeling stress and less than resourceful states…

We can all remember times/moments when we felt resourceful and completely confident. Hold a picture/feeling of this state and know that it exists somewhere inside you. Use the energy of this feeling to change from a place of low energy and creativity to a stronger, more powerful place.

Your gears are there and waiting to be used: discover them.

Happy clicking…