Logistics *
* Always makes me think of Office Space.

So, I've been riding to work again after quite a lull last year. It's gotten me thinking about the challenges that riding posed when I first started out (and that I'm having to deal with again) and how those challenges translate to lots of different areas of my life.

When I first started riding, back when we just moved here to Portland, I'd never ridden in any kind of commute situation before. I could ride, yes. But I'd never ridden in traffic or with an actual time constraint. Starting out, it quickly became clear that I needed to improve in three areas:

Strength. I needed to get into better shape, which was taken care of by the ride itself. Over time I got faster and less winded.

Skill. I needed to cultivate certain skills for riding in traffic. These included physical skills like signaling, gearing correctly, and being able to look around and behind without veering off the path. In addition, I needed to learn mental and emotional skills like remaining calm, avoiding panic, being observant / in the moment, and a skill that I think of as "projecting Ki" (from Ham's Aikido class -- basically making sure that people see you). The physical skills came while I was riding, but the mental/emotional stuff I had to deliberately cultivate.

Logistics. In addition, I needed to learn HOW to ride in. Not only the street directions, but how to park and lock the bike efficiently, pack appropriately, change quickly, deal with weather, access equipment quickly, etc. Interestingly, this took the longest to learn and involved creating a bunch of new habits. Some parts developed naturally, but others required a bunch of trial and error experimentation. It was only after the logistics starting coming together that riding actually became easy and something I could see myself doing all the time.

Looking at this list, it seems that I could generalize these skills to lots of goals I might have in my life. Whatever it is I need to do, I need to be strong enough, skilled enough, and in command of the logistics. The first two seem obvious and are generally accomplished by doing the thing you want to learn to do mindfully. But the third is, I think, often ignored and at the same time highly critical.

Let me give you two examples of logistics for riding into work:

* Keys. You have to lock the front door, get the garage closed behind you, and lock up your bike when you get in. What keys do you need and where do you carry them so that they are immediately available (don't want to unpack your whole bag at the bike rack) but don't accidentally get lost on the ride? How do you make sure you don't forget your keys and arrive at work with no way to lock your bike?

* Bag packing. What do you carry in your bag? What can you leave at the office? How do you pack your bag so you can get changed piece by piece without having to drag everything out at once? What do you do with your office shoes so your bag doesn't get dirty inside? What extra riding clothes might you want in case of weather changes during the day? How do you pack lunch so that it doesn't spill in your bag?

These are pretty picky and detailed. It's not like you sit around thinking up all this stuff before you start riding. But as you ride, if you are motivated to be as efficient and effective as possible, you'll find yourself answering these questions. The first time you arrive with a wet tush from a freak shower you'll realize that a COMPLETE change of clothing is probably a good idea. After a week of trying to find your bike lock key in your bag, you will end up with a carabiner. After the first time you're late for a meeting because you took 40 minutes to get cleaned up and changed you will figure out how much time you can save just by packing correctly.

My point is that logistics are often the forgotten aspect of acquiring new skills. We have this new stuff we're working on, but don't make any new habits to support it. We join a gym, but don't get a gym bag ready. We start reading, but the book always ends up someplace else in the house. I have medication I take regularly before bed. For weeks I'd be about to drop of to sleep when I remembered that I needed to take it. So I'd get up out of bed and go to the bathroom. Now I just keep the darned pills in my bedside drawer and a glass of water on the nightstand. When I remember, it's right there. Not only do I not have to get up, but I'm remembering earlier and earlier -- to the point where it's not remembering at all, but just another part of my bedtime routine.

Right now the Ham has three bags next to the stairs: her Aikido bag, her swimming bag, and her school bag. The Aikido bag holds her gi, belt, and white T-shirts. The swimming bag has her suit, towel, water wings, pool card, saline drops, and a granola bar. The school bag has art supplies, library card, and various detritus. Getting Ham to where she needs to go has gotten so much easier since we set these bags up. No more hunting for stuff all over the house. No more wondering if items are clean or not. We can just grab and run.

But logistics isn't just about making habits. It's also about dealing with the unexpected. So from a riding perspective, what are my options for getting to work or home in the event of bad weather, a flat tire, an emergency, or a schedule change? Because I took some time to look into the options, I know which buses I can catch along my route in and home, and roughly when (the express bus only during commute times, the slow bus during the middle of the day as well) and I also know how much a cab ride is (my emergency fallback) and where I can leave my bike overnight.

I think I'm going to identify some areas of my life where my logistics are weak and see whether improving them helps me.

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Unrelated note: last night the D-30 came OUT of my pillowcase and went on the altar (along with a cranky demand for some sleep!). So last night I still had multiple dreams... but they were less intense and I got more actual rest.