I’ve been working out a little bit, as you probably know, and I’ve been waking up early to ride the bike a couple of times a week.  I really, truly thought this would be hard to do, but to tell you the truth, I kind of look forward to it now.  I put on the noise canceling headphones, turn on some perfectly-timed music on my phone (thanks to the fantastic app “Cadence“), and ride for 20 minutes.  I can sometimes catch up on emails and facebook, but mostly, I listen to the music.

Now, I don’t know about you, but I have always been a sucker for a good turn of lyric.  Lyrics are poetry to me.  If you don’t write well, I probably don’t listen to you (unless your song has an earworm-worthy beat and is inescapable in society).  Suffice it to say, even the music that has a tempo of 135 (my setting for my morning rides) on my phone have meaningful lyrics.

And I’ve been listening.  And crying.

What the-?

I don’t know if I’m more emotional because I’ve just woken up, or it’s because I am completely alone, or what, but something has been triggering these tears.  They aren’t always sad tears, either.  Just emotional.  And before you ask if it has anything to do with my cycle, please realize I would have figured that out by now if it did.

Nope.  I think this is not only a workout, but a cathartic release of stress, and I don’t mind it.  I feel more in tune to my big picture starting my day this way, bike facing my mantel, and the myriad pictures of the most important people in my life.  Reminding me why I’m riding, and more philosophically, where I’m headed.