The View From The Back Seat

Our friend Lois wrote us about ten days into our trip to ask us we had learned any ‘life lessons’. At the time we weren’t quite sure how to answer. We had just begun the process of acclimating to our new way of life and travel and hadn’t even thought of life lessons yet. After having two of our flights to Sicily and then Greece change at the last minute an afternoon out in Spain gave us a moment to reflect on this question. We think we have an answer. 



Often times it is a small event that triggers a deeper insight. I never would have guessed it would happen on the back of a tandem bicycle. If you’ve never ridden on the back seat of a tandem bike it is certainly a different experience. First, you cannot see the road ahead of you. For those of us who like to ‘know where you are going,' not being able to see the route in front of you presents some challenges. You must peddle along, in a forward motion, always following the person they are in control of the situation.

You find you have to trust ‘The Driver’ to maneuver a course that you cannot always see . He must dodge unexpected objects, watch 
for oncoming traffic, plan the turns and navigate all at the same time. Your job is just to roll with flow. Of course, you must do your part by peddling along and trying to keep the forward momentum going. To get the most from this you allow yourself to become attuned to your driver and after a while you can tell when he is going to alter the course. And then, you began to relax and ‘ let go’. 
Without the distraction of being in charge you can start to enjoy
 the scenery. view from the front. You can find  beauty in  everyday The view looking to the side is often different then the life, the routines and rituals we sometimes take for granted while in perpetual motion. You see, as if for the first time, pieces of colored laundry blowing in the wind as they hang out a window on a second story apartment or windsurfers in  the
middle of the afternoon leisurely surfing for hours. You can close your eyes and for a moment just inhale the different scents as you just ride along. All of this occurring as ‘your driver' follows a sketchy map that a local gave you so that you can have tapas for lunch at his favorite lunch spot.


We tend to spend our lives being the driver. We navigate through life; planning, working, and thinking we have to be in full control of every situation. When we live our lives in this way, we miss the opportunity to breathe and enjoy the hundreds of beautiful moments that are present in every day. How nice it is to be ‘the rider' to be able to breath fully, to see heaven in the grains of sands and wildflowers and to know that even if our routines don’t change much day to day, our perspective can.

So, yes Lois, we are learning some life lessons. Ones we hope to carry with us all of our days. And by the way, we are as we speak, in a C-130 on our way to Sicily by way of Scotland.

You ought to see the view out the side window………