Pennsylvania Riding and TED

Yesterday I rode to this place.

It’s the Delaware River, which separates Pennsylvania from New Jersey.  I actually rode over the river into PA, then back again.

It’s an amazing, majestic thing.

I’ve been itching to increase the distance of my bike rides, and I’ve also been enamored with this notion of riding into different states.  I can get into PA with a ride of about 50 miles, and I can get into New York with a ride of about 110 miles.  This particular ride was 65 miles or thereabouts.

I was shocked when I saw the river.  I’ve crossed it hundreds of times, but always in a car.  This was the first time I’ve ridden so close to it.  I recall climbing up the road that hugged the river, getting to the top of the banks, and looking down on this awesome spectacle.  It felt right to me.  I felt like I belonged in that place, that I had earned the right to see that view, that through my own power I had gotten myself to that high place on the banks of the river, with the hills of northwestern NJ in the background.  It was beautiful.

This morning I dove deeply into TED talks.  I’m late to the TED party for sure.  I had discovered them a while back, but this week I decided to listen to a few.  I got pretty engrossed in it today.  It’s great because they’re only 20 minutes long – a great length.  There are lots of great topics, and the speakers that I’ve seen are good.

This one by Susan Cain on introverts really resonated with me.  There is no doubt that I’m an introvert.  The word that connected most with me was “solitude.”  It actually brought me back to the previous day, when I was riding along that river, with nobody but me out there.  Not too many feelings better than that for me.  Listening to that talk on introverts made me feel pretty good today.  Once again the notion of being myself and being happy about it.

Then I stumbled onto this talk and this talk by Dr. Brene Brown.  These also hit home, but in a much more fuzzy way.  The words “vulnerability,” “shame,” “courage,” “authenticity” are a bit scary to me.  But I think there is something really profound and powerful in the concepts that Dr. Brown introduced.  I’m definitely going to peer into the dark, dusty corners of my soul with these concepts.  I don’t claim to have any answers, but I’m excited to explore that stuff.  If I can learn anything or improve even a little in the areas that Dr. Brown mentions, it’s going to be a big deal.

I’m hoping I don’t develop a TED addiction.  One thing I’m trying to do is reduce the constant sensory assault that comes from information.  I’m an information junkie, so TED has the potentially to really make me crazy.  I’m needing some quiet time, so hopefully I can put TED in the proper place.

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