I spent the first 10 minutes of my day in "legs up the wall" pose, hands clasped behind my head, experiencing gravity... the Earth's weighty pull on my body. Mostly I noticed the tightness in my chest muscles. Perhaps I've been slumping a bit more recently, body curled toward laptop or phone. Perhaps the external tightening is a manifestation of [...]
I spent the better part of yesterday’s rest day trying to sort out my upcoming cancer treatment given the coronovirus outbreak. My plan had been to fly back to NY from Austin for the required scans and treatment but it is clear that heading back to New York right now is not a good option for me and, fortunately, my [...]
Diana was diagnosed with stage 4 Small-Cell lung cancer in February 2008 at the young age of 62. It practically happened overnight with no previous warning signs of her failing health. It had spread to her brain and adrenal gland. The ER doctor told us to go home and let her die, with a life expectancy of 4 months. We [...]
Today is a rest day in El Paso and I was blessed to have the opportunity to reconnect with a high school classmate, Florence Chamberlain. Florence and I attended the Academy of the Sacred Heart in Grand Coteau, Louisiana many years ago. She brought our high school year book with her and we had a wonderful time flipping through the [...]
MINDFULNESS "I can scroll and worry indoors, or I can step outside and remember how it feels to be part of something larger, something timeless, a world that reaches beyond me and includes me too." - Margaret Renkl, opinion writer for the NYT and author of the book "Late Migrations: A Natural History of Love and Loss"
My father, Ed Feldman died on the operating table just a few weeks after his 60th birthday from lung cancer. A smoker much of his life, he was the friendliest guy around. A complicated man, he went back to his first love of being an optometrist. I am sad he never got to meet his grandsons. I am honored that [...]
If Isabella had a small library of books that had informed her spiritual path, I'm pretty sure A New Earth would be in it. I have her copy on my bookshelf. It sat there for several years before I was "ready" to read it. Consider this quote from the author, Eckhart Tolle: "The mental suffering you create is always some [...]
We rode today from Hatch, NM to El Paso, TX through the flood plains of the Rio Grand River. The most memorable aspect of the ride was the beautiful acres and acres of chile farms and pecan orchards—so chiles and pecans will be the focus of today’s blog. More fodder for home schoolers ? Hatch, a small village of about [...]
Dorothy Smith Mullen, an environmental, food, and healthcare activist, died in hospice care at home in Princeton on March 15. She was 64. Dorothy was a teacher of gardeners young and old, the founder of The Suppers Programs, and the producer of her own end-of-life educational program she dubbed “Dying Dor’s Way: Radically real spiels on the end of life.” [...]
I started the day by reducing my load—amongst other things, I threw out the newspapers I have been carrying around for the past two weeks in hopes of actually having the time to read them. It was clear from scanning the old headlines that catching up with pre-coronavirus news would be pointless now. The things I was worrying about when [...]
"There are little beauties everywhere. We just have to look for them... Everything always leads to something else and when you feel sad and empty and like it all means nothing, you might look out and see two shopping carts and you might remember: I just have to look, listen, and tell the truth and the beauty will be there. [...]
Today we climbed and climbed and climbed and finally crossed the largest of North America’s continental divides—The Great Divide. In an effort to assist all of you currently home schooling your children, today’s blog is a ready made geography lesson on continental divides and the divide that runs through both North America and South America. A continental divide is a [...]
Oslo, Norway — Dyanne was diagnosed with stage 4, EGFR mutant, lung cancer in March 2015. She was then 30 years old and had just given birth 11 months earlier to our daughter Naomi. Dyanne survived nearly 5 years, but sadly passed away in January this year.
We biked a glorious 104 miles today— a true gift from Mother Nature. The wind was behind us, the sun was above us, the temperature brisk and we only had 3000 ft of climbing. While yesterday’s 75 miles felt like 500, today’s 104 felt like 50. Gotta respect Mother Nature!! We crossed into New Mexico today and didn’t see any [...]
Crowley, LA — Dr. Petitjean was a much loved dentist in Crowley. He lost his short battle with lung cancer on November 8, 2010. He is dearly missed by his family, friends and community.
We biked 105 miles today with 6,329 ft of elevation gain. Exhausting. We could have had a 92 mile day with 1,000 ft less of elevation but opted to take the scenic road through the Arizona desert escorted by members of the Phoenix Bike Coalition. It was spectacularly beautiful and a definite reminder that it’s all about the journey—not the [...]
"The most precious gift we can offer others is our presence. When mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom like flowers." - Thich Nhat Hanh While we are advised to maintain more physical distance between ourselves and other people, perhaps we can close the gap with our presence. The need for connection is wired deep within us. How can [...]
My dad passed from lung cancer on October 15, 2006. He was a retired police officer, World War II vet, and a prisoner of war. He survived the Battle of the Bulge. He was a great dad.
Marie Vykukal Nov 1931 - Nov 2006 After surviving kidney cancer a decade before she was taken too soon by lung cancer in 2006, three months after she was diagnosed. @ Santa Fe, New Mexico
Today was supposed to be an awareness spreading event day in Phoenix and in light of coronovirus the events were cancelled and we had time to regroup and reassess how we move forward from here. Following well-advised protocol to limit interactions we set up our signage at Tempe Beach Park with coffee, donuts and handouts detailing facts about lung cancer. [...]
"Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet." - Thich Nhat Hanh Staying grounded can be so helpful when it feels like our lives, what we know and count on, are constantly shifting. It might take some intentional practice to connect to a something that feels like stability. Connecting with the ground, the Earth itself, is one [...]
Today was a beautiful day. We biked from Wickenburg Arizona to Phoenix passing through magnificent desert in full bloom brought on by the rain that preceded us. America the beautiful at her best. I was filled with gratitude for being alive, for living in this great country of ours, for being healthy enough to bike and enjoy nature at its [...]
Shirley was diagnosed with lung cancer at the age of 75. She never smoked or drank. The doctor missed her cancer diagnosis. She had surgery and chemo. A real trooper. She is now 88 and thriving. She is a very sweet and honest woman.
"Mindfulness is a way of befriending ourselves and our experience" - Jon Kabat Zinn Sometimes we criticize ourselves for the thoughts and emotions that are arising, especially in times of stress or when more is being asked of us. Anxiety is a natural response to perceived threat and yet it can also get in the way of wise action. Sometimes [...]
Day 5 was just a beautiful day in every way—yes the sun was shining and the wind not directly in our faces—but more importantly I felt the love and support of people near and far in every rotation of those pedals. On the “near” side, I’m traveling with a fabulous support team of family and friends. Adam from Velofix is [...]
Only a Ventum bike could handle side winds with such ease and grace. We can’t thank @ventumracing enough for generously donating this beauty. It serves Isabella well!
Today was our easiest day yet—a welcome gift from nature :) We started the day though with 30 miles on I-10 with semis rolling by at 75 mph. We had a nice wide shoulder though with a dividing line separating us and them and while some among us used the expression “this is so scary” I personally was reminded of [...]
Nothing lasts for ever—neither the good nor the bad —and today we experienced that lesson through a bizarre and diverse range of weather and scenery. The day started a bit like day 1—in the pouring rain. After a few hours the rain became a trickle and the wind gusty and barely manageable. The headwind made forward progress slow indeed even [...]
Team BikeBreatheBelieve left San Diego yesterday with high spirits in the pouring rain. We all wished for sun. Today we set out from Alpine with a very steep climb under a beaming sun. We wished for flat road. At mid day we were elated to find a flat road that soon became wind swept and quickly turned into a rough [...]
"Wherever you go, go with all your heart." - Confucius Our culture teaches and encourages us to lead with our minds. Recent events might be pushing us to lead with our fears. This brief practice not only offers a bit of respite from the news cycle and ruminative thought, it also reminds us to stay connected to our hearts. Place [...]
