I biked to work the other day. While I was biking, I was practicing a few dorky vocal exercises because I need to record some vocal tracks to a song before this weekend (I’ll explain after this weekend). It reminded me of a ride from over 10 years ago. I was biking from SAP in Walldorf, Germany (where I used to work) to my little dorf on the Neckar river. I was climbing a hill on a small country road. I was feeling good, had a comfortable pace, and, in my joy, began singing R.E.M.’s “I am, I am, I am Superman, and I know what’s happening. . .”

Just as I finished loudly and boldly singing that phrase, I glanced over to the small farm house I was passing. Standing there, frozen, was a young, blonde-haired teen farm girl, staring perplexedly at the crazy American. I laughed to myself and road silently on – well, silently until I knew I was out of ear shot anyway. . .

What’s funny is that I totally enjoyed that ride. Every bit of it. I can still smell the tall field grass, feel the warm sun on my back and even hear the light breeze blowing through the trees along the roadside on that late summer’s day. I wasn’t really in a hurry. I was happy to be experiencing that moment in completely new surroundings and just soak in it all.

Fast forward to my ride yesterday.

I’m biking as hard as I can, racing to get to work, pushing my heart (and legs) as hard as they can go. . . and missing everything between point A and point B.

The thing is – I actually know that life’s real meaning is found “in the journey” (and all those other clichés). Truthfully, I hate the clichés. But, unfortunately, at least in this case, it’s true. It is “in the going” that we live life. It’s where all the real “life” truly happens.

How much do we miss – around us, right now – as we race forward, focused only on the future?

Too much.

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