Kerri On Down The Road

Lately I've felt like I am on the edge of something...like the next chapter is getting ready to unfold and all I need to do is continue on my path and let it all come together.  It sounds so easy and yet is probably one of the hardest things to do.  Be patient.  Trust in the instinct that tells you to not force or push and believe that by doing "nothing" you are actually doing exactly what is needed. In my past I have not had a great ability to just be...I have found it very difficult to trust in the process and as a result have often managed to find ways to try and manipulate the outcome to what I feel it should be or what I want or need it to be.  And looking back I wonder how many of these manufactured outcomes were really and truly what would have come to be if I had just eased off a bit and trusted in the process that I was going through.  As I think about transformation and change I think back to a book I read to the boys when they were much younger ca...

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 li...

On my motorcycle a few weeks back I came to a roundabout in the road.  I will admit, I find them a bit daunting to navigate as I encounter them so rarely and so I went ahead and bailed out too quickly and ended up on a bit of a detour as a result.  I must say that getting lost on a motorcycle is not really a bad thing, so it worked out in the end, but did give me some food for thought around how we approach these "fork in the road" moments. In our lives we come to many forks in the road, some more significant than others.  Sometimes the route is quite clear and there is no decision to be made, as we already know how we want to proceed and there really is no downside to the outcome of our choice. Other forks come with a sense that going one way over the other will result in a change in path that cannot easily be undone, and the weight of that decision can be overwhelming.  I heard a powerful message this week in a podcast - danger is real, fear is a choice - you ca...

I have taken part in a thirty-day at home yoga program online all centred on the idea of finding your true self.  I am not sure if the yoga or the centring thought was what drew me in.  Either way, it has been nothing short of fantastic.  Each daily practice seemed to unearth a different thought or idea that was not only timely but also helped to illuminate parts of this journey that I had not yet considered.  Something about being on the mat every day, allowing your body and mind to be in the moment and to accept what you are bringing with you in that time is quite powerful. One of today's final thoughts was around surrendering, and allowing yourself to surrender.  This can be physically at the end of a practice or workout, just allowing your body to soak up all of the work that it has done and to also allow your mind to take it in and celebrate it.  Where this struck me was in the other areas of my life, off of the mat.  The act of finally surrend...

One of the parts of cycling I enjoy the most is the time that it provides to reconnect with friends.  Until recently group rides were not an option, so it has been quite a treat to be able to start having rides in small groups again.  My return to cycling this year has been interesting, as it has reminded me how much I enjoy riding but has also at times started me down the path of getting caught up in the numbers - how far, how fast - and then comparing to where I once was. I was starting to notice the tell-tale signs of burnout cropping up...the lack of desire to participate, not feeling up to doing longer rides, and even considering putting it off to do other things instead.  I was a bit concerned as I had taken all of last season "off" and despite a happy return to riding this year, was already starting to feel like I was ready to hang up my gear again. On a ride a few weeks ago, I was talking with my girlfriend about these conflicting feelings and trying to figure...

Believe it or not, this post marks my 52nd one in a row!!!  Yes - as of today I have been writing a weekly entry for an entire year now.  I remember my decision to start this blog.  The mixed feelings of excitement, nerves and fear.  The worry that what I had to say would not resonate or be important enough for anyone to bother reading what I was posting.  Wondering why I thought that I actually had anything interesting to say anyways, and who did I really think I was to start a blog.  (Oh hello imposter syndrome, so nice of you to stop by - NOT!)  For so many reasons I am glad that I decided to push PUBLISH on that first entry and also decided to stick with it ever since.  Just having a place to put these thoughts, and to share what I hope are relatable feelings is comforting for me.  And I truly hope that something I post might help to provide comfort for someone who is facing a similar tough spot or bump in the road.  At the start ...

Have you ever noticed how a message for one situation can apply to so many others in your life?  I was reminded of this a few days ago as I turned on my tablet to do some reading.  The message that flashed on the screen said "Battery is Dangerously Low" and something about needing to plug my device in STAT if I was going to use it at all.  I found the message interesting as not only did I want to do some reading, so scrambled to find the charging cord, but it also struck a different chord.    My internal battery was also starting to feel dangerously low and yet I didn't feel like I'd taken any similar precautions or measures to replenish it.  I may not have had such a dramatic message flash at me in the bathroom mirror but I could feel the energy draining, slowly and steadily.  A sense of overwhelm at all that is going on in our world, on top of managing a household and work responsibilities while trying to ensure that I am also staying active and heal...