The Great Miami Journey: West Carrollton to Middletown.
I got the special privilege to ride 16 miles of Ohio’s Great Miami River scenic bike trail from West Carrollton to Middletown on this very spring-like day in January. Along the way, I saw small towns as well as the beautiful countryside of southwest Ohio. The flora and fauna, both being in full winter retreat, were a wonderful sight to these eyes that have for so long been trapped in a world of corporate slavery and abject worldly depression. Squirrels darted back and forth among the trees, and a gorgeous red tailed hawk was kind enough to let me snap some photos of her against winter-dormant grasses.
It was a long ride, 32 miles in total round trip. But more than just a bike ride, it was a journey to find myself again. My life has, as of late, been in turmoil. I am going through a personal financial crisis. I am parting ways with my wife of 7 years. Work as a mechanic (my day job) is a drag, and I will soon need to find a new home. I am not complaining though. These hardships have caused a fundamental shift in my philosophy. For so long I have focused on where I want to be. For so long, I have only had my destination in focus. All this time I have forgotten to take a breath and enjoy the journey. There is a line from a children’s television series that kept popping into my mind as I pedaled along, 80’s music blaring into my ears from my aged iPod touch. A character from the series “Avatar: The Last Airbender” says “Whoa! Looks like someone has a case of destination fever! You are worried too much about where you are going.” Another character adds to that “You have to focus less on the where, and more on the going.” This really resonated with me as Nancy Wilson from the band “Heart” was singing “Love me like you love music and I’ll be your song” into my ears.
All too often, people seem to be focused more on what they want to be doing 5, 10, or 15 years from now. As they plan for the future, the present passes them by. This journey I took today on a little black mountain bike showed me that sometimes, we just need to slow down and stop to take in the moment. I hope that my journey can help others discover this truth as well. That truth being that if you live your life entirely for the future, one day you will look back and wonder where your life went. There is nothing wrong with planning for the future. Just do not allow it to consume your present. Otherwise, your future will be nothing more than regretting your past, what is now your present. It is not a coincidence that the word “present” can mean both “now” and “gift”. Live every moment as though the present were a present. Every moment is a gift. Article and photos by Mathieu C. Hubin.
