Goldfinch

Over past 3 years, I have developed a relationship with the goldfinch. 

Or, maybe it would be more accurate to say that the goldfinch has developed relationship with me.

Many of you know that I am an avid bicyclist and, even though I don’t get out as much as I used to, or I would like, I still really enjoy getting out on the road for a long ride or onto the single tracks to rip it up on my mountain bike anytime that I can.  (In fact, yesterday, I had a great day riding about 90 miles to Old Mission Lighthouse in the northern part of Michigan and will write about that later.)  I think it is also important to state that in recent years, I have developed new and probably much merited fears about riding on the roads.  It is really dangerous out there!  Maybe I am more aware of my family responsibilities and my own mortality.  In any event, I do think about it every time I get on my bike.  But, I feel like the benefits outweigh the risks, so I pedal on.

About three summers ago, I was teaching at a string camp in Anne Arundel County near Annapolis, MD.  While there, I was getting out on my bike every day when I wasn’t in rehearsal.  Boy, were the roads dangerous there!  Cars would fly by me and not give an inch.  I really worried about my safety.  Sometime during the week, I noticed that a goldfinch was following me on my ride.  I started realizing that it would stay with me for miles.  I can’t quite describe it but to say that I felt a sense of safety and peace when it was with me.  I would say that I noticed it on three of my rides that week and always smiled when he was with me.

Later that summer, my family was vacationing in Western Pennsylvania at a small state park called Prince Gallitzin.  It is one of my favorite places in the world: a small lake, rolling hills, forests, trails, camping, farms that go on forever, and quaint small towns.  I try to ride every day when we are there.  The hills are a great workout.  Sometimes too great!  Anyway, guess who shows up?  Goldfinches.  Again, they are hanging with me for miles on my rides.  Again, I just have this sense of safety and peace when they are with me.  Later that summer, we headed to Indian lake, near Somerset, PA to hang out with my sister-in-law and her family.  Sure enough, more goldfinches.  And in Somerset, they were even more prominent during my rides, hanging with me for 10, 15, even 20 miles.

When I returned home to North Carolina, I decided to drop a note to my old friend, Joe Liles.  Joe is immersed in Native American culture and I thought that I would ask him about the goldfinch and if there was any Native American lore about this phenomenon.  He told me that he wasn’t aware of anything specific, but that Native Americans do feel that The Great Spirit can be found in nature and that animals can be a conduit to ancestors and to God.  Interesting.  I don’t have any conclusions here.  I just find it all to be interesting.  I am a pretty spiritual guy.  I am a Christian.  (If you read my blog at all, I hope that you had already figured that out.)  I am really intrigued by the book “Heaven is Real” and the concept of intercession by our relatives.  I don’t know.  I just find it interesting and palpable.  I have read a couple of similar books and love the thought of a heaven where we are young, whole, happy, and together with those that love us.  I have bought in to the concept.  I have really wondered if these goldfinches were at least a representation of a deceased relative just hanging with me, assuring me that everything is ok, or maybe literally keeping me safe.  Maybe they were a sign from God, reminding me of his grace and protection.  Again, no sermon here.  I am just reporting the facts.

This summer I am teaching at Interlochen Summer Arts Camp.  I love my gig here.  I have time to ride my bike almost every day.  Guess what?  The goldfinches are back.  I have been joined on my bike rides several times by these guys.  This summer, they are more like fly-bys.  They don’t hang with me for miles.  Instead they fly right in front of me.  Almost like they WANT me to see that they are there.  And, every time, I get this incredible sense of the presence of God.  It is a feeling that tells me I am not riding alone (on my ride that day and through life). 

A few days ago, my wife and kids were leaving to go to Pittsburgh for a couple of days.  I was a little concerned about them.  It is a long drive and the family was going to be apart for a while.  We said our goodbyes and they headed out.  As they got out onto the road, a goldfinch did a fly-by on them!  She had my son text me and let me know that he was headed my way.  The bird flew right in front of the car.  He wanted to make sure she saw him.  Crazy.

I have shared this story with lots of folks.  As I said, I don’t really have any concrete explanations.  All I know is how it makes me feel.  These finch encounters make me feel safe and not so alone in the universe.  They give me a sense of peace.  I think we all need more peace in our lives.  I know that I need more.  Peace can certainly be well beyond our understanding.   I feel like this is that peace.  I don’t really understand the peace that I receive when I know I am not riding alone.  I just accept it for what it is worth.  I enjoy it and savor it.

And, now every time I get on my bike, I wonder if I am going to encounter my old friends, the goldfinches.  Or maybe they are some other old friends.  Regardless, it makes getting on my bike an adventure!

Peace.

Scott

Cycling at Interlochen

One of the great opportunities that come with my schedule the next few weeks, is the opportunity to get on my bike each day in the morning. Over the past several months, my cycling habit has been a bit diminished due to a busy work and family schedule. (However, I will admit that I have been pretty committed to the elliptical machine in the gym at NCSSM.) I brought my Fuji Cyclocross Pro bike with me and it is perfect for the terrain at camp and off campus. I have encountered many dirt roads and the cyclocross bike just begs to turn onto them. It is perfect for both paved and dirt road rides.

 

Today, I went out on a beautiful 21 mile road ride that took me through some great wooded areas and ended up at Lake Ann, in Alvira, MI. Along the way, I saw some beautiful homes, great forests, fields of huge ferns, and a bunch of interesting looking general stores, shops, and other businesses. I was disappointed that I didn't find a public lake access to stop and enjoy the view. I had to enjoy it from the road – looking through the yards of the lucky folks that have homes right on the lake. It was a wonderful ride. Yesterday was the exploration of the circumference of Lake Green, which borders one side of the Interlochen campus. That ride had a combination of paved and dirt roads and a variety of stunning lake views. I am happy to say that I didn't get lost either day. (I will eventually! That is what GPS Apps on the Blackberry were designed for.) The circumference of the lake is about 10 miles, so I did it twice!

 

I am reminded again how great it is to be on a bike. It is so awesome to feel the wind in your face, to have your lungs burn a little bit on an ascent, to get the machine going over 30 mph (sometimes over 40 mph) on a descent, and to see an area up-close and personal. It is a great relief to get away from engines and motors and just generate the energy for travel. There is nothing quite like the feeling of happy exhaustion after a good, solid ride. One really feels a sense of accomplishment and peace.

 

I can't wait to find more lakes, towns, and sights from the back of my bike over the next several weeks. It will definitely get my head right for the beginning of the upcoming school year. Life is certainly good.

 

Peace.

 

Scott

Tour to Tanglewood

Last weekend, 23 students and 8 faculty and parents participated in the Tour To Tanglewood MS Bike tour and had a great ride. Hurricane Hannah put a damper on the Saturday portion of the ride, so we just had one day on the bikes. Sunday turned out to be a beautiful day and eveyrone had a great ride. Most of our crew rode 50 miles in the rolling hills of the Greensboro/Winston-Salem area. A few of us opted for the 75 mile route.

On a personal note, I had a great ride. It was a great day. I felt fantastic through the first 60 miles. If I am totally honest, the last 15 was a little more work. It started to get hot about that time and my legs started to cramp a bit after our last rest-stop with 10 miles to go. I was glad to see the finish line.

This weekend, after Family Day on NCSSM on Saturday, I am heading to New Bern to ride in the 2nd day of their event and plan for another 75 miles. The New Bern ride is much easier be cause of the flat terrain. I can't wait to get there!

To all who are supporting my efforts with the MS society, thanks so much. It is important work and your support means so much!!

Thanks and ride safe!

Peace

Scott

Cycling to Make a Difference

This fall, I am, once again, riding in the MS Bike Tour to raise funds for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Many of you know that about 3 years ago, I started at bike team at the NC School of Science and Math as part of that effort. Over the past 3 years, our team has raised over $30,000.00 for the MS society and over 75 students, parents and faculty members have gotten involved. This year, Team NCSSM will have team members at two different MS rides. One is in the Greensboro, NC area (Tour to Tanglewood) on September 6-7 and the other is in New Bern, NC on September 13-14. I will be riding in both of these events.

As many of you know, MS has touched my family and we have certainly benefited from the ongoing research that is supported by fund raisers such as the MS Bike Tour. About 10 years ago, shortly after my oldest son was born, my wife began having trouble with her vision. She was quickly diagnosed with MS and we found ourselves completely unsure of exactly what that meant for her longterm health, our "plans" for more children and our future as a family. Over the past 10 years, Barbra has been fortunate to have very few major difficulties and our family life has remained vibrant, exciting, and healthy. We now have 3 sons and you would never know that Barbra had MS to see her. We feel very blessed to be in this situation. Not all MS patients are so fortunate. Much of that health that Barbra enjoys can be attributed to the medications that she takes (Beta Seron) and the research that is ongoing in the area of Multiple Sclerosis. I can tell you first hand that the MS medications that have been developed in the past 10 years have done wonders for folks that are afflicted with the disease. Beta Seron wasn't around when Barbra was initially diagnosed.

Initially, as the spouse, I felt very helpless. I knew that I would support her in whatever she encountered. (Although, I didn't really know what that might be.) But, there wasn't much else that I could do. A former student, who was an avid mountain biker, came to me and told me that he wanted to ride in an MS 150 bike tour in support of Barbra. I had never done any distance riding at that point, but I had a bike and felt like that was something that I could do. I knew how to ride a bike and at least I would be doing something. Students and parents from my former school stepped up and that spring, with their support, I raised over $5000 and rode in the event with my friend and former student, Mike Gray. I remember that we were riding mountain bikes with knobby tires that made a loud whirring sound as we flew down the road and all of the road cyclists kept remarking about our overall speed and determination. I think I had tears in my eyes for well over half of that ride. I can't tell you how important that ride was to me as the husband of a newly diagnosed MS patient. Over the years, I have participated in at least one MS Bike Tour event every summer and sometimes two or three. I have graduated to road cycling as well as mountain biking and have logged thousands of miles over the years.

This post is not intended to be a request for donations. I simply want you know know about the efforts and the background behind my commitment to the MS Bike Tours. Of course, if you want to donate, you are welcome to do so through the linked pages and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. If your are interested in tracking my progress with fund raising or the efforts of Team NCSSM, I have a separate page for each of the events in which I am riding. Our team page is linked to my personal pages. They are:

Tour to Tanglewood: http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR?px=2060771&pg=personal&fr_id=9011

and

New Bern: http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR/Bike/NCTBikeEvents?px=2060771&pg=personal&fr_id=8760

Many of you have contributed to this effort in the past and I so appreciate your ongoing support.

I am so excited to be riding with students at NCSSM. It is my mission to get them involved in supporting the National MS Society and introducing them to the joys and health of cycling. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to e-mail me or comment on this post and I will occasionally be posting notes about my training and the events here.

Thanks to all of you for your continued support and friendship and your support for the MS Society.

Peace.

Scott

Cycling makes me better

Ok - lets get this out of the way- I am not fast. At least by cycling standards I am not fast. By non cycling standards, I am fine. I just got home from a fantastic 27 mile ride. It is a beautiful Sunday afternoon and I can't think of a better way to spend some of it. I averaged about 16 mph today and that is a really good day for me when riding alone.

I just love what riding provides for me. Obviously, it is great exercise and it definitely makes me feel a little better about that dish of ice cream that I am sure I will have later today. But, there is so much more to it.

I love the personal challenges that it provides me. I love hills and the challenge of not down-shifting too early. The idea is to maintain your power and speed as long as possible before down-shifting and, ultimately, slowing down when ascending hills. It takes a great deal of willpower not to down-shift too early. But, if you can focus on maintaining your speed and power long enough, hills become less daunting and your goal (the top of the hill) is attained with significantly less pain and suffering! There are great lessons to be learned on hills that pertain to so much of life.

Another great benefit for me is the time alone with my thoughts that an hour or two on a bike provides. I spend so much of my life "switched on" while working with students that it is just great to get on the bike and just think for a while. This morning, our pastor encouraged us to consider the landmarks of faithfulness in our lives. That is, the places that we can encounter God's grace in our lives. For me, my bike is that place. On my bike, I am able to appreciate the beauty of the world around me: the wind, sun, rain, grass, trees, winding roads, beautiful homes. I could go on and on. In this environment, I can be thankful, meditative, prayerful, reflective, reverent, and even creative. Yes - in many ways, my bike is a landmark of faithfulness in my life.

Finally, when I get home after a great ride, I am better. I have more focus and concentration. I am happier and generally more positive. I pay better attention to my kids. I am more attentive to my wife. I feel better. Yesterday and the day before, I spent about 13 hours in a state music educator's association board meeting. Don't get me wrong, the work that we do is important. But, afterwards, I felt terrible. Today, I got on my bike and rode away that 13 hours. I just feel so much better.

Recently, my sister and her daughters have started cycling. I am so proud of her and the girls. She called me a few days ago and told me how much fun they are having and how good this new activity has been for them. I hope that they can find some of the enjoyment and enrichment that I find on a bike. I think they are on their way.

So, if you are considering it, do it. Buy a used bike. Start out slow. Ride around the block. You don't need to break any records. But, trust me when I tell you. Cycling makes me better. Maybe it will make you better, too!

Peace.