Day 13 - Keep it Simple Silly; it's Sunday
Today's reflections, observations, and contemplations are rather simple.
Doing anything at all with companionship and solidarity is so so much more fun, filled with more purpose, and feels a lot easier, although we may be able to go further and have more impact. Compatibility is a massive thing, though.
Compatibility to me doesn't mean perfect match as I've yet to find a perfect match in this life for a thing, or a perfect peace for that matter. Peace is lived and real, and aspiration, and so too are relationships, so finding ones where they complement each other and, for the most part, are aligned in terms of pace, values, and where they would like to go.
My cycling buddy, for example, will sometimes be a little fitter than me depending on what's going on in our lives, or maybe I will be fitter than him if I've been moving as I have for the last 12 days! But that's when we really assist each other, take the lead, or decide to hang back and follow. I might be stronger on hills and he on the straights, and so we know this and work with one another to get through a cycle with a smile more than a grimace for the most part.
Compatible partnerships, friendships, and relationships are not about being the exact same but sharing connections, visions, and ways of getting there and working out how to best do that. Aspiring toward peace or getting through this 80k cycle this morning doesn't mean it all has to be a tough battle till we make it. We can make it more of a fun and hugely worthwhile journey and bring out the best in ourselves and the world around us, while also lightening each other's load, moving with meaning, and even uncovering what that meaning is along the way.
Shane O'Connor
