Do Your Best

About a third of the way into my ride, not long after turning on to the Southwest Commuter Trail in Madison, I came upon a series of encouragements written on the pavement in purple chalk.

Messages in chalk are usually intended for one person.  That's why special colors are used, I suppose.  (More on the ride at the end of the blog.)

"Just do your best," was the first message that caught my eye as I rode toward Camp Randall Stadium.

I wondered what prompted the message and for whom it was written.  It could have been to help someone along their first long distance run of the season.  There may have been a race or it could have been a "love note" of sorts for a kid on their way to school for final exams.

Little notes like that, whether written in chalk or a note dropped into a lunch bag - are a great boost to the reader.  A short note, today it could be an encouraging "tweet" for someone who needs it.

You know, that might be a pretty productive way to harness the power of the internet in a powerful way.  Most of the group of people I read or "talk" to on Facebook and Twitter seem to follow this idea.   What a great thing to encourage rather than discourage.

Unfortunately, a whole new term has risen to codify the exact opposite that is really a plague on society.  Cyber-bullying is a cowardly way to make fun, criticize, and degrade from the safety of a keyboard instead of face to face.

Try to send an encouraging word to someone today - you'll enjoy it as much as they will.

Thanks for doing your best!

The rest of the time on the bike was interesting.  I chose to ride my "upright" - a Schwinn Traveler 10 speed on the reverse course of a 17 mile training ride three weeks ago.

It provided a challenge to power up hills and through little discomforts to my neck, wrists, and sitting area that are no issue on the recumbent.  I could feel some muscle groups getting work outs that might get easier treatment in a recumbent riding position.

Before getting to the commuter trail, I rode past several wild turkeys, including two toms all puffed up display their full fan of feathers with a chest inflated so they looked ready for Thanksgiving.

My final take-away from the ride was that the same roads ride and look different when heading the other way.