Nsirota https://goo.gl/YwUY2Y Nat Sirota

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Nat Sirota

Moments like this.

It's Warm In The Woods

It's that melancholy time of year again, where the sun goes down before 8:00, meaning I'm in trouble if I can't get my bike out of the woods by then. So much for riding after work - the season's almost over. But I noticed something inspiring last night, barreling out of the woods at 7:30 after watching the sun go down from the edge of the escarpment. Follow me. The dew sets in within minutes of the sun sinking below the horizon, which feels like all of the humidity in the air condenses and falls to the ground. Simple enough so far. All of the heat in the air just disappears, and I swear I felt the moment it got cold last night, and it seems reasonable to assume that it's cold because the sun is no longer out. And that's wrong, and here's where it gets tricky: this only seems to happen in open areas.
As I ride through both fields and forests on this trail interchangeably, I saw it. Or rather felt it. At that time of night, the woods are dark, and it takes a huge amount of focus to keep me eyes from playing tricks on me on the trail. In turn, the residual light in the fields is blinding. At that very moment, cool air hits my skin like a sack of oranges. It seems intuitive that this would be ideal, but the cold air is a huge contrast to the heat in the woods. The woods stay warm and humid! I don't know why this happens. Maybe it's the lack of grass on the forest floor, or maybe it's the trees, but one thought becomes very dominant: the forest itself is very much alive, and I'm so thankful that life offers me these kinds of opportunities to experience such beautiful phenomena.

These train rides seem longer by the day

Ever have one of those days where all you can do is chant a mantra of 'please don't be poison ivy, please don't be poison ivy, please don't be poison ivy'?
I call those days Monday. And I know it's supposed to be bad to focus on negatives, but I really don't see a fully positive way of hoping for not-poison-ivy.

This One's For You

So tomorrow's the Warrior Dash, or, Nat's next reckless step to becoming a walking bruise.
It's strange. The day before the Spartan Race last month, I was a nervous, terrified wreck. I'd never done anything like it before, hadn't prepared much at all, and felt really isolated knowing that I was doing this alone. It was a day of self-talk and ice cream, the only thing differentiating it from a day before a major exam being the ice cream. It's difficult to describe, but it was not a happy place. It was rather one of self-doubt and overall negative vibes, and I spent the whole day trying to pull myself out of the rut. I even knew at the time that it was silly to take it so heavily, because from the start there was nothing to prove. My final resolve was to take the race exactly like I would an exam, and I did, and just before the race something made me smile and it was all downhill from there. Or rather, uphill. Most of the running is uphill.
This race is hitting me differently. I woke up this morning pumped with more energy than I've had in weeks. I didn't even realize how busy my day was until it was over, and I could have eaten a 5K for breakfast. My coworkers would attest that with that kind of energy it's a relief I don't spike my morning coffee. I can't wait to run tomorrow. If I wake up in the morning feeling half as good as I did today, I'll fly through it with ease. So what's so different?
I've cornered my husband into running with me. I've also learned in the last while that one of my coworkers is running it, too, and the trashtalk around the office has been fantastic. Today I found out an old colleague is running as well. I'm not alone this time.
No man is an island.  I've watched and learned over the years that as much as solitude is sometimes the only gateway to solace, people need each other. We count on each other for the smallest, stupidest things, and so much as a smile, a second opinion, or a vote of confidence can make the greatest difference in our lives.
What made me smile at the last race? In the hour before the race I paced around, nervous and resenting that my husband couldn't be there. Then I went into "exam" mode and stretched and warmed up - it no longer mattered what I thought about doing this alone. Two minutes before the race started, they had us line up, asking slower people to hug the back. I lined up in the back. And waited. Then there was a tap on my shoulder, and I turned around to find a friend of mine who had been mountain biking in the area and rode down to see what this was all about. He wished he could try it, said it looked easy enough. And that was all I needed. A smile, a second opinion and a vote of confidence. I can't describe the relief I felt in that moment. It's well-known in my circles that I try a lot of arguably reckless activities, and I have yet to regret a single one of them, but at the heart of each one lies an element of hesitation and fear, challenges to overcome and, in some cases, battle scars proudly worn for days after. I'm proud of who I am and the things I do, but we are social creatures. We would accomplish so much less without the support and confidence of those who know us best. 
Tammy, (because I know you're reading this), thank you so much for being in my corner. There are no words for how much it means to me. If the last one was just for me, this one's for you.

Thought for the day

A handlebar to the gut is no fun and hurts way more the next day. I recommend it to no one.
On the other hand, this time I welcome being defaulted into a night off from... well, the million things I could be doing right now. Gives me a chance to sit around and indulge my travels in the love of wisdom.

Don't worry about me yet. You can start worrying when I take up golf.