LATE LAST NIGHT AN INQUISITIVE EMAIL FROM DAVE CAME IN. I’ve seen a lot of discussion on this topic and my response is always the same.
EMAIL SUBJECT LINE: EXCESSIVE EXERCISE MAY HARM THE HEART, STUDY SAYS.
EMAIL MESSAGE:
Interesting article but seemingly non-conclusive. Your thoughts?
MY RESPONSE:
Nobody gets outta here alive.
I was in high school the first time I heard that phrase… and didn’t understand it. Jim Morrison yells it at the crowd during a concert, The Doors: Live At The Hollywood Bowl.
Eventually I grasped it.
Once you realize nobody is getting off Earth alive, living well becomes much more important than living long. There is no living long, life is short… there is only living well.
Part of living well, for me, is the joy I feel on my bike, with the wind on my face, with my friends riding along with me.
Friendship is living well.
Bike friendship is a curious thing.
For instance, one of my college roommates, Bob, dropped by the office today. We hadn’t gotten together or spoken for years. He lives in Seattle, where he rides his bike. He was in town on business. We’re chatting, and Jeff calls… he’s in town from Park City and is riding his bike to my office. The three of us were in a college fraternity together.
And there we were, on a beautiful Thursday morning, catching up on our fast moving lives, for the simple reason all 3 of us independently fell in love with bike riding…
… I’m pretty sure, bike riding is good for my heart …