Once

The thing I love most about that movie is that they DON'T get together in the end.
They just meet randomly, share a passion which climaxes into a weekend of capturing a moment which would then inform their own worlds, and shape their lives from that point on.
(Though living the bus scene would be pretty awesome too!)

I kind of had a moment like this one. Well, not as defining let's be honest, but still good.
I went for a ride down the Princes Hwy a few weeks ago, the first ride for way too long. As I got off to fix my bike, this girl rode past me and stopped at the next lights. I caught up to her as you do, and we ended up sharing the wind resistance load, and just chatting, making the time go faster and enjoying the awesome autumn day that it was.

She was was younger than me and much fitter than me, but had a long day, getting up at 4:30 to work at the fitness centre. So we were struggling equally with the long slow hills I'd forgotten about since the Sydney to the Gong ride a million years ago.
But you know what - she didn't complain at all. We acknowledged that we were both doing it tough, but chose to think about the good bits, and just slow down. Dwelling on it only makes it harder. It might be unjust that you can train for months and then lose it in a matter of weeks - but like she said, 'getting out is better than sitting around not doing anything'.

I spose you need to experience the pain to see the beauty of that. Focussing the mind can be so much tougher than pumping the legs! It's a great moment to take back and inform the rest of my life.

I figure in life and ministry it can be all too easy to focus on yourself rather than on God, his people, or the task of taking the gospel to them in all aspects of life. Performance dictates success, and failure (or fear of it) can lead to a crippling self-focus. But training the mind to focus on the things of God can change your view of serving him; lifting your eyes from the pedals can give you the view of a pristine autumn world. :-)

So a simple version of a supremely orchestrated movie, but a simple reality is better than a grand pipe-dream, in this simple man's opinion.

JT