Tuesday, December 26, 2023
When you contemplate starting something up again, like playing piano or flying a plane, people tell you, “It’s just like riding a bicycle.” As if riding a bicycle is easy! In a way it is, but behind the scenes, it’s a miraculous feat of brain power, environment, and mechanics all working in perfect union.
Riding a bicycle is a phenomenon that requires a precise dance with forces outside of your control. You have to let go and trust in the unknown complexity that makes it happen. The brain is going nuts with micro-calculations and balance maneuvers, but you don’t need to be worried about that. Why try to bust into the inner workings like that?
We are too busy trying to “ride life” from a mechanical standpoint. We’re trying to get into the control system, and “make” it happen. My flight instructor always told me, “small corrections!” What that meant was to stop trying to “fly” the plane and to trust in the design of the plane itself. It was meant to fly, even in rough conditions. You’re not doing yourself a favor by over controlling. Less is always more. That’s the key to joy right there.
Life is easy unless you insist on getting into how the sausage is made. You don’t need know the mechanics. Just remember to make “small corrections.” You’re designed for ease, like a plane is designed to fly. I see a lot of people working hard, futilely. I prefer to ride, rather than trying to get into the complex mechanics of how it all happens. Don’t meddle, just pedal. Don’t get bogged down with the behind the scenes. You’re simply missing the scenery itself! Life could be just as easy as riding a bike, if only we would just go for a ride and stop turning everything into “science.”