Live To Ride BMX: Ramblings: Disconnecting from the forums | BMX State of Mind

Disconnecting

I recently did myself a favor and logged off MTBR and other forums completely. While these forums provide great info, insight, advice, etc. they also provide a big distraction from work and responsibilities. Admittedly, I had a problem with them (MTBR in particular) - I'd get sucked into conversations, get into internet "flame wars" (I know - it's very stupid), I'd get "trolled"... and the very reason why I joined these forums was fading away into obscurity.

Also, I'd get real upset over stuff in these forums, and feel real stupid for letting this stuff bother me. I'd ask myself "Why?" - most of these people are strangers, anonymous people behind screen names... so why was I getting sucked into these types of conversations?

I have lurked in to get some info on my new Jek, but that's about it. I still did not log-in.

While I enjoyed the local banter, I am over the trolling and flaming. I feel better - like I eliminated negative people in my life. Fuckin' first world problems...

I know, it's very silly. A grown man shouldn't be pondering this BS, but a grown man shouldn't be doing tricks on a BMX bike by most peoples standards.

BMX State of Mind

More silliness.

I've turned this thing into my mantra. I believe it was The Come Up that originally came up with this, and I've owned it since.

I love this saying. For the past 22-some-odd years after quitting BMX, I feel like I've been searching for "me". Meaning, I've looked into motorcycles, fixed gear bikes, MTB'ing, trials riding, road riding, etc. but I've never felt "me" doing these things. Like, "...yeah, that's fun... but not quite."

It was real bad in my mid-20's: I remember feeling "bored" and out-of-sorts... like something was missing. I was super depressed, in fact, I've battled with depression for many years - always yearning to feel "right".

There is something about freestyle BMX riding that has made me feel whole again. Like, a complete person, and I can't pinpoint what it is about riding that 20" bike that makes me feel this way. It could be the care-free creativity that comes with it; or possibly the freedom to be able to do anything your mind can come up with. The level of riding we see today shows there are no boundaries. It could be that it is completely void of mano-a-mano competition - those alpha-male pissing contests that runs rampant in XC MTB'ing and even worse in road bike riding. Maybe BMX satisfies my self-diagnosed AAHDD.

Whatever BMX does to stimulate that little grey organ rattling around in my skull - it does it. I don't quite find that in MTB'ing. While I love MTB'ing, it does not do what BMX does for me on a cognitive level.

So, I've adopted "BMX State of Mind" as a silly saying and have applied it in all facets of my life, from my marriage to my profession. To me, it says to live life without boundaries. To - in a figurative way - "grab your bike and walk out the front door". To live life creatively. To appreciate even the smallest positive effort, because in that effort, if built upon, will turn into huge things later. Doing positive things repetitively becomes internalized and becomes a habit that you can teach others. To congratulate people on things that would normally go unnoticed. To learn from young and old. To squash the bullshit and negativity by ignoring it. To push boundaries and make your own rules about life. To not think outside the box, but to not even have a "box". This, to me, is living life in the "BMX State of Mind".

BMX'ers turn simple, everyday things, into all-day sessions. Empty parking lots, a curb, a set of stairs... even a garage floor. You don't need anything but the earth, gravity and your bike to make magic happen. Making use of the environment and evolving with it. Rolling with what has been provided and building upon it. I have chosen this attitude to permeate everything I do.

A note to my fellow Old-Schoolers: I know we like to bask in our former glory. I am equally as guilty. I know we like to hang on to tricks we did 25-30 years ago and still do them - there is nothing wrong with that. However, we should grow; evolve. We should watch and learn from the younger riders and ask questions. Get pointers. Try stuff we never did "back in the good ol' days" because either we were too scared to do it or it hadn't been invented yet. My riding is rapidly progressing simply because I'm looking at BMX with fresh eyes. I want to update my efforts, and not be stuck in 1991 for the rest of my riding life.

Here are some pics from the weekend. Learning from the younger riders and being inspired is helping me evolve as a rider.