Finding Your Tribe

A return to cycling this year has done wonders for me physically, mentally and spiritually.  What started out as solo rides to help off-set all of the time spent indoors, has morphed into small group rides that take place mostly in the early hours of the day.  Although these rides vary in distance and destination what remains consistent is the quality of the company.  I've been riding for over ten years now, and have been so fortunate to meet some incredible people along the way.  What I find so interesting is that our paths would likely have never crossed had we not been on bikes, and yet we all have so much in common and have fallen into easy and comfortable friendships.  These people are my tribe, or at least one of my tribes.
Lately I have found myself just taking it all in, listening to the various conversations going on, the laughs and shared experiences and have felt a real sense of gratefulness at the opportunity to have these moments.  It feels like the lock down and distancing that we needed to adhere to allowed us to really take a personal inventory. Perhaps it is one of the positives coming out of the pandemic, this ability to truly see and cherish the people in your life and the quality of the relationships that you are a part of. 
For me, taking last year off of the bike to sort some things out and spend some time on my own allowed me to dig deep into finding who I am and what I needed in my life and what I could walk away from.  Doing this work helped me to find myself and I think that once I found myself I was able to truly find my tribe.  These days I feel like I have come back to the fold and the person who has returned is the real me.  There is no longer a need to put on false bravado or worry about bringing my true self to the table.  My friends know me and love me for who I am, deep down, regardless of the kind of day I am having.  I can be honest and open and feel safe doing so.  And that is how I know that these are my people, and this is one of my tribes. 

 

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