how long since I shared this image?


it blows my mind to see people on the crowded city streets with headphones on while riding their bikes

then... to see people in the woods mountain biking with them on on the heavily trafficked multi-use dirt trails in this area... well... it is a bit of an unnecessary risk

then on race day?
man... that really irks me!
to be in a mountain bike race and have people moving about with headphones on really pisses me off
just as we have to listen to our bodies
it is just as important to listen to our bikes
with headphones on we are taken out of the game
when passing someone with headphones on... well.. I am always on my guard

sure... there are occasions where I wear my headphones
the other day I hiked with my dog in Rock Creek Park while listening to Bells of: Eleven Eleven
it was like hiking down memory lane with an old friend
but... the number of times I have had near collisions with another snowboarder or another mountain biker... well... those near misses are enough for me to know better

the sounds of the city tend to keep me entertained enough that I do not need music as I walk or ride

it is not that I don't love music
I just do not need it in my head all the time

and the cell phone
the cell phone is primarily for short phone calls to make contact to set up plans
sure there is the occasional long phone call to catch up with an old friend
but... I am moving about the world walking one place with my mind somewhere else