‘Tis the season, it’s that time of year. For some, the hap-hap-happiest. For others, a terrifying hellscape of war, poverty, and all the rest of humanity’s ills. For the fortunate, life goes on without as much suffering. For the able-bodied, it’s the last 31 days to strive toward whatever fitness goals you may have. That includes this dude, for whom it’s time to put the hammer down and finish what he started. (Seriously, why am I holding this hammer?) After the holidays, another new year is looming. When the tidings of comfort and joy, forced capitalist present-buying and the same old songs are over, there will pressure to make another batch of New Years resolutions. With all that is going on in this out of control world, maybe all that one has control over is moving your body, even if it’s in small ways. How have you been moving and grooving yours?

“There is no try. Do or do not.”

-Yoda, Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back

Pour moi, it’s the usual: a 30-minute walk in the morning, 30 minutes of gentle yoga at night, and 60-120 minutes of bicycling in between, usually after dark during the week and afternoons on weekends. We know that cardiovascular exercise like cycling is beneficial in multiple ways: circulation, weight management, transportation, and social interaction to name just a few. Trying to make a goal though is another thing, and it’s both energizing and tiring. I asked a doctor if I’m doing too much exercise and he said, “No, keep going.” Every doctor I’ve asked says the same. Okay, I’ll keep giving it the ol’ college try.

Even on a good day, it can be quite hard to make oneself bike (or run, swim, jog, walk, yoga, row, weightlift, etc.), but we find a path to do something it anyway. Maybe we #Don’tBreakTheChain unless absolutely forced to not continue the daily streak. Or we’re relaxed but still very regular about exercise. It’s even more challenging when the weather outside is frightful and what’s on the telly is so delightful. Or when you’re tired, always at work, in school, or with kids you’re mired. Or when the wind is coming from the east and west and south and north, and so on and so forth. But if you don’t care about goals you either don’t have them and so have no need to worry about raking yourself over the warm coals. I don’t know why the rhyming, but a lot of biking is about timing. Just take it slow and easy, and keep your chain lubed and go greasy. (Not sure who said “go greasy,” but they must have ridden a bicycle.)

Speaking of weather, winter is coming, and surely it feels like it’s already arrived in more northern climes than Texas. I’ve written a number of blogs about the coldest season. The winter of our discontent, and winter in America, a winter in America redux, winter in America again, and “Cold Weather Bike Riding Tips: Don’t Be Silly with the Chilly” are some of them. But the cool thing (pun intended) about December is that maybe people are a little bit nicer to each other. There is talk of peace, the giving of gifts, and hope that things might be better. The darkness and cold (in the norther hemisphere, at least) descends upon us, with months of cold weather ahead. The solstice, marking the darkest day of the year and the realization that winter is coming (or has already arrived, depending where you live). But it’s easy to forget that the cold and darkness doesn’t last forever. Remember that spring is not so far away (unless you’re a child, it seems like forever), and the future is not yet written. You can still change your goal or your efiorts *right now*.

It should go without saying that breaking down the goal into manageable sizes is key. When the challenges of meeting goals gets tough, the tough get going, but the smart stop and reassess. For example, it was the hottest summer ever recorded in Central Texas this year. Naturally, I biked less. So, I accepted a downward revision of my goal–for the time being. I also knew it would cool down in autumn, so I planned to step things back up–which I have. I also figured I could go to the gym if needed to use the stationary bicycle indoors and the miles would still count. I didn’t do that until we had some cold and rainy days, but adjustments when you can make them do work. You also have to be realistic if you’re hurt or sick, or life gets in the way. Like an old bike friend Sam used to say, “Live to ride another day.” And any day could be our last, so we may as well try to enjoy it. “Bicycling While Rome Is Burning,” https://wp.me/p75hY4-3SM,” I titled one post. But fun is allowed and encouraged, even in spite of all the ugliness we humans keep perpetuatuing against other humans who are different from “us”. My acupuncturist told me tonight to have more fun. Okay, I’ll try. Jeez.

Goals can be fun. I’m pretty sure I’ll achieve them. However, it’s about more than just one number, distance for me, although that is certainly the main one. It’s about the daily discipline (four plus years of cycling now), effort, and problem-solving that it takes to get there. All the numbers–distance, time, elevation, number of activities, speed–are just the tangible, outward measures of everything that went into achieving the goal. It’s a hard, cold way to compare my efforts year to year. Goals are available to anyone, but there’s something intangible about striving for and reaching them. If you make, strive for, and meet goals, you know of what I speak. The best way I can explain it is this quote:

“Those who don’t know, say. Those who say, don’t know.”

-Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching

When you have met your goals, you stand on the top of a metaphorical mountain of all the blood, sweat, and tears your body produced. (Mostly sweat, one hopes.) Pride is one of the seven allegedly deadly sins, but if you’re humble about it, I think you can and should be proud of your accomplishments. Whatever you’ve done, even if you have fallen short, you realize that YOU did all of that. You can look back and realize you’ve built something internally that no one can tear down. Sure, they can complain and criticize, but so what? Who are they? What did THEY do to better themselves, their health, their bodies, minds, and spirits? Why don’t they mind their own business, and, to borrow a line from the recovery movement, take their own inventory? They–the haters–gonna hate. Except for providing you fuel to continue, they don’t matter. You matter to you. And maybe more other people than you know.

At the end of December, and the year, you can look back and say to yourself, “Good job. I did it. I did my best. Now I can forget the rest.”

So, how is your December going?

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