More bike riding!

Hello all to a sunny, cool fall Saturday. What a great day to break out the bike and ride. So I did. I packed a lunch, grabbed some water, my camera, and decided to check out a new place: Lake Montebello.

The ride there was great. From my apartment, I head out towards Johns Hopkins and the Waverly Farmer's Market. Another mile or so past is the man-made lake. It is a beautiful setting, much like Druid Lake. There is a nice track around for bikers, walkers, runners, dogs, and whatever else. It's apparently 1.35 miles around the lake.

What was cool was after I arrived and took a spin around, I found a nice shady area to have my lunch. Thanks to Mom for the idea! Lunch was a nice tuna-fish sandwich, some coffee cakes, and an XS Classic. Post lunch, I took another ride around the lake and headed back.

It's funny how you see things more when traveling via bike or walking versus driving. I stumbled upon a labyrinth right off 33rd. It is the Stadium Place-Thanksgiving Place Labyrinth. I was re-introduced to labyrinths only recently. There is one at the Delaware Art Museum in Wilmington, DE. This one is very pretty and complemented with a bell tower. I stopped for a little while and walked the path and reflected. Very cool.

One of the fun places in Waverly to check out is The Book Thing. Since I hadn't been in a while, I stopped by. You really can't go without picking up some books. I came away with four. One or two will probably end up as gifts.

The ride back was nice. The hills was a bit challenging as I working on building strength in my legs. But, I got through it. Each time it will be better, no doubt.

Oh, I tracked my progress with GPSed again. You can check out the route and some pictures I took along the way: http://www.gpsed.com/track/395697906001622736.

Thanks for reading. Have an awesome weekend!
~J^3

We're number one?

We all like the idea of winning. And we should. However, I believe that it should be less of 'being the best' and more of 'doing our best'. Small distinction. Being the best basically is doing more or better than others. Depending on the situation, we might not have to do much. However, doing our best requires a whole lot more. It requires us to push our boundaries of what our potential is.

I came across an op-ed in the New York Times today. I encourage you to read it here. Tom Friedman explains what he feels are some of our country's underlying reasons for falling behind. In general, as Americans, we can't imagine a world where America is not the leader. And I believe that many nations around the world hope/expect that the US remains the leader. Unfortunately, we (the country) don't exude the qualities of a leader.

I think that it is great that many more people today feel they have the opportunity to be on TV, be a celebrity, be a star. However, there is sacrifice and hard work which comes with that. Dedication and focus towards a goal is what keeps this nation strong. And, there is a lot of that around. But they are not whom we hear about everyday. Columns like Tom Friedman's shed light on the problems. What we need to do is start focusing on the solutions.

Don't misunderstand, I believe in 'play hard'. But the first part of that phrase is 'work hard'. Only I can evaluate whether I 'worked hard' and deserve to 'play hard'. I encourage you to look around and learn what sacrifices your friends/relatives are making. Don't judge - just listen. And if you don't have a passion or drive for something right now, maybe you'll find something along the way. Until then, as the Boy Scouts say, 'do your best' ... in everything you do.

Thanks for reading,
J^3