The Joy of Movement – Cycling and Hiking

power in the body, fresh air, exercise that is fun, sustainable, healthy , ecstasy of movement, invigorating, rhythmic, flow, fits in the daily round . . .

 Cycling 

I took up cycling when I lived in a small, bike-friendly town in New Jersey. (yes, there are small towns in New Jersey!)  It’s rhythmic and you get to see pretty places and be outside. I loved the speed and the wind on my face. (Are you beginning to see a pattern here?)  

I was in my early 30’s, recently divorced from my five year practice marriage and was lonely for companionship. I decided to join the Sierra Club and go on their Saturday bike rides.  I met an awesome group of people and I loved riding all over the green countryside in the fresh air, clearing my mind after a long work week. We became a tightly knit community, enjoying many weekends, Thanksgiving dinners and holidays together, giving me connection and a wonderful sense of belonging when I most needed it.   

One of the peak experiences of my cycling career was riding the five boro bike tour in New York City. I will never forget the image of bikes, bikes, and more bikes riding high on the bridges connecting the boros. I had never seen those bridges devoid of cars. It was surreal. 

I left my car in New Jersey when I first moved to Eugene. My bike was my sole source of transportation for about six months. What a simple, uncomplicated life. Eugene is designed for cyclists; some places are even closer by bike than by auto. When I moved to the busy Bay Area, I gave up the bike.  Navigating through traffic with skinny or nonexistence bike lanes was not my idea of fun. 

Hiking 

The Sierra Club folks also opened up a whole new world of hiking for me. Who would think, after Wyoming, that I would take up hiking in New Jersey?!? And it has stayed with me. If I have a whole day or afternoon, I like to combine exercise with my expedition days.   

Hiking is a wonderful way of moving my body and being enveloped by trees, water and sky at the same time.  It has a simplicity about it that appeals to me.  It requires very little gear and takes minutes to grab my boots, make a lunch and fill a pack.  I love moving through the trees and that feeling of power in my body climbing the hills. I am greeted by magnificent views (and a snack!) when I reach the top.

I am forever grateful to the foresight of the early settlers in the Bay Area who set aside huge parcels of land for hiking trails and wildlife preserves, particularly the East Bay Regional parks. It is a spiritual human need to be outdoors. I believe there is no finer way of filling that need than propelling my body amongst the great beauty of hills, trees and sky.

The Joy of Movement - Skiing

In my dreams!

 

Some movement memories bring up feelings of loss. I was once a pretty hot skier and motorcycle rider. I loved controlled speed. One of the coolest things my dad ever did was to buy me a Kawasaki 90 when I was fifteen. Maybe he felt guilty about moving me from Huntington Beach, California to Spring, Texas?!? I found myself a boyfriend who had a dirt bike and he let me ride it, opening up a whole new world of speed and savvy. 

Skiing 

I’m content to leave the motorcycle riding in the past, but my heart sometimes aches for the skiing. I gave it up when I moved away from the cold. I don’t know if it was the expense or the fact that Rob doesn’t ski, but I haven’t skied for over twenty years. I often have dreams about skiing. I’m so excited, anticipating gliding down the slope, and just as I am about to get off the chair lift, the dream ends. 

Skiing was a part big part of my life when I lived in Wyoming. When we moved there from Texas, I decided to learn some winter sports, so I would be willing to go outside. That was another really cool thing my Dad did for us – taking us to a used ski equipment sale and outfitting the family.

I loved the speed and the rhythm of skiing, the cold fresh air on my face, the good looking guys and navigating the mogul fields.  I loved the sunlight on the snow, the wide open slopes and the huge sky. I even taught young people how to ski one winter. Of course you know I loved being part of the cool ski instructors group!

And guess what!?! I’m actually going skiing this January! One of my best friends will be completing her general ordination exams and she wants to celebrate on the slopes. I decided it was time. I took myself to Any Mountain in Berkeley and bought a smashing ski outfit, dug out my gloves, hat and goggles from storage, and rented a house for the four of us, husbands included), seven miles from Heavenly Valley in Lake Tahoe. Reinventing Karla, Chapter 3, here we go!  

Please pray with me that my vertigo will not stop me from doing what I want to do. Restore my balance good God!

The Joy of Movement

power in the body, fresh air, exercise that is fun, sustainable, healthy , ecstasy of movement, invigorating, rhythmic, flow, fits in the daily round . . . 

Exercise cannot be a part of reinventing Karla unless I like it.  If exercise is not fun, it’s not sustainable. I’m just not the type of person who will keep up going to the gym. I like to be outside. But I am motivated to find exercise I like, because I can’t be happy unless I’m healthy.  Maintaining good health; physical, emotional and spiritual is one of my strongest values.  I am worth it.  You are worth it.   

I’ve written about the ecstasy of the stillness of the inner life. There is also an ecstasy of movement. Blog: Re-inventing Karla
Link: http://reinventingkarla.blogspot.com/2012/04/ecstasy-of-inner-life-embracing.html

 

I’m usually attracted to the type of exercise that has rhythmic type movement.  Swimming, walking, tennis, hiking, cycling and skiing have all been a part of my repertoire at different times in my life.  I love that state of flow, when I am so caught up in the sacred rhythm of the whole thing that I forget about time.  All movement, especially at first, requires some pain and sweat.  The flow comes when I’m in good enough shape to forget about the effort and enjoy it.   

Swimming 

 

I remember in college I loved swimming laps at the indoor pool in the winter and luxuriating in the sauna afterwards.  I loved the slow, rhythmic way my body moved through the water and the breathing felt almost spiritual.  I often went into a type of trance while swimming laps and forgot about time.  

Swimmers have a special hardiness about them.  They have an independent quality and a free-spirit type vibe about them. I remember one older woman at the pool and her husband were caretakers on a huge estate.  I filed that away in my young memory that this could be a smart way to go; living on a magnificent piece of land in a sweet cottage, and not having to work fifty plus hours a week in a corporate office to get it.   

Although I’ve never been a caretaker, that woman has inspired me. I’ve always lived in interesting, vibrant places and found a way to make it work by minimizing the cost of housing, which has usually involved living in small places with very little upkeep and more time for fun! 

 

 

Rotation of the Seasons
The Gardens at Lake Merritt

Pumpkin Patch in the Lake Merritt Gardens

The parks and squares of Paris were so lovely, inspiring me to explore our parks right here at home.  We live a five minute walk down the hill from Lake Merritt, which has been coined the “jewel of Oakland”. It is an incredible community of people, trees and birds of every shape and color, all surrounding a lake, designated in 1870 as the first official wildlife refuge in the country.

It takes me about an hour to power walk around the whole thing and my treat is to stop at the Farmer’s market when I’m done.  Last Saturday, I met my dear friend and her sweet daughter, and upon their encouragement, sampled my first Nutella waffle. Oh my good God! Every bite, crisp on the outside, soft center oozing warm chocolate from the inside was sublime.

Nutella Waffle at the Lake Merritt Farmer's Market

Using the same camera I had brought to Paris, I snapped various shots of the gardens of Lake Merritt on the way back home, all the while so grateful to be there. It is refreshing to find that same beauty so close to my house. I was very touched by the good people of Oakland tending to the flowers and fountains and bonsai trees, creating so much beauty in our gritty city. There was even a Toddler’s Garden! And a red Japanese gate thing, (Rob just informed me, a torii, smart man!) identical to the one in Parc Monceau.

Blog: Re-inventing Karla
Link: http://reinventingkarla.blogspot.com/2012/07/parcmonceau-i-am-writing-to-you-from.html 

Oakland just rocks. Caille Millner says in her Chronicle column, "If I were a young, creative person who wanted to move to the Bay Area, I would say to her: Move to Oakland. That’s where things are happening right now, and that’s where things are going to continue happening in the years to come. "  

Japanese Gardens at Lake Merritt

Do you even know how proud that makes me?!? It is not easy to live here. There is no doubt that it is not the safest place. There are a lot of us, various cultures and ethnicities living in little, tiny spaces, many of us working two plus jobs, trying to eke out a living in this dismal economy. We need our parks. We need our Farmer’s markets. We need our art walks and ethnic restaurants. We need our creative people, making this a place of beauty and splendor amidst the grime and the crime.



Waterfall at Lake Merritt

Full of hope, full of grace, is the human race.  – “Throwing Stones” Grateful Dead

Rotation of the Seasons – Girly Stuff

 Changing the Bed



The Famous Pearled, Tasseled, Velvet Pillow

One of the deepest pleasures of a new season is changing the bed linens. I love my bed. I meditate in bed, read in bed, write letters in bed, work on this post in bed, talk on the phone in bed and eat breakfast in bed. I would probably do most of life from my bed if I could! I want my bed to be beautiful, nurturing and new every season. 

It is a joy in the fall to bring out the smooth, carefully stored, rich olive velvet duvet cover from one of our trips to Paris.  It is truly luxuriant; there is no other word for it.  We also brought home an exquisite, matching velvet pillow, complete with pearls, tassels and every other beautiful thing that can fit on its small, square shape.  I love it!  It has been worth every euro in enjoyment.   

Lindsey and the Pillow!

 

 It is a joy at the end of the day to sink into the soft, clean flannels and read ourselves to sleep.   

Changing the Altar 

Another life-sustaining, re-inventing activity is changing my altar for the new season. I look forward to getting up the next morning and sitting on my re-vamped meditation perch for the fall. I keep a large stash of journals, small plates for incense, porcelain bowls, leaded glass holders and antique trays, small notepads and mementos that hold meaning, like the small ceramic turtle Rob bought me in Hawaii, reminding me of swimming with a real one. 

I change the linen on the altar every season, laying out a creamy cut lace topper I found in an antique store last spring. I bring out different candles and small lamps. I even change the pillows and the throw blanket on the couch with the seasons. (Let’s just say the Drostes own a lot of pillows.) 

The everyday matters.  It’s worth taking the time to create some beauty. Why not change it up - keep it fresh - keep it new? Let us revive our spirits with the rotation of the seasons.

 

 

Rotation of the Seasons – The Fall Purge!

changing the colors, sweaters, boots, tights, leggings, belts, scarves, flannel sheets, autumn flowers on the deck, baskets of apples, pots of tea . . .

Out of the Closet - Berkeley

 

I love the solid, eternal rhythm of the seasons and the eternity of place.  Seasonal rituals give me great comfort. The beginning of each season marks sacred moments that I can count on year after year. There is almost nothing more pleasurable for me than the change in the seasons. I can count on that newness every quarter, filling me with the hope and anticipation of a new day.  

The Rotation of the Closet 

One of my favorite rituals to bring in a new season is the rotation of the closet. Rob always knows when I joyfully announce the end of summer and beginning of fall and pass a delightful Saturday morning rummaging in the bedroom, replacing the sundresses, strappy sandals, pretty straw hats and colorful scarves with sweaters and boots, cashmere lined leather gloves and mufflers, moving the olives, browns, velours and velvets back to the working side of the closet. Every year he says he can feel the happy waves emanating from the bedroom. 

At least twice a year, I clear out the old, outdated, over worn, I’m sick of them, clothes, together with purses, scarves, shoes, jackets, old dishes and picture frames  - -  scoop it all up, load it in Little Red (bursting at the seams) and deliver it to Out of the Closet, a marvelous organization, started by Magic Johnson to raise money for AIDS.  Oh, delight!  Nothing feels more satisfying than the seasonal purge.   

When I am tempted to go get more, I listen to my wiser self, counseling me to not fill it all up again too soon.  Leave some wide open, empty spaces and enjoy the looseness of it all.  Savor what I kept.  Enjoy our uncluttered, clean home. Leave some room for new beginnings.

Rotation of the Seasons

new beginnings, season premieres, movies, theater, music, students back, freedom.

Cool Clip Art

Autumn is a time of new beginnings for me. The air positively crackles. Browsing through last Sunday’s Datebook I felt that delicious anticipation of all the season premieres. I will most likely never attend the opening of the symphony, ballet or opera but the energy of all that newness and creativity makes me feel hopeful.

I love reading about the new movies and marking the ones that sound interesting – I’m always happy when the summer action movies end. This is the time of year when they bring out the all the good stuff for the Oscars. Give me the relationship movies; the grit and the drama.

Clip Art

Clip Art

And fall looks so beautiful! Check out the pumpkins and gourds at Whole Foods. Telegraph Avenue, usually gritty and gray, blooms into full color; oranges, reds, golden yellows. I can see the campanile on the Berkeley campus rising out of the morning fog on my way to work. I see the same trees that change colors every year and it brings me great comfort.  

And fall brings the kids back! Every year at this time on my way to work, I see a new crop of little beanies crossing the street to St. Paul’s school. And the older ones are back, too; college students strutting down Telegraph; oh, so confident, oh so young!  I recall sweet memories of a much younger Karla in her first days at the University of Wyoming. The freedom of that first season away from home was exhilarating! Nothing felt like that! Remember?

Fall always reminds me of freedom; the freedom to re-invent myself, the freedom to re-invent my life. Let us celebrate this new beginning together!