Truing

I bought a bike to ride around the neighborhood.  I have always loved biking and thought my biking days were over when I explored riding 8 miles to work. This endeavor into health and frugality left my knee screaming loudly in painful bursts, why?  I learned the importance of proper
alignment and adjustment of the seat, handlebars, and pedals. This is essential to prevent unwelcome 
berating from the body that can only be quieted by large dosages of Tylenol and Advil. Proper technique goes a long way to keep the body happy. It requires not only pushing the pedals, but lifting as well. Using both the back and front of the thigh, and the calves. 

My new bike arrived quickly delivered in Amazon fashion to my front door and delivered by Sean my UPS man. It was wrapped with great care and before too long it looked like a bicycle should. Shiny black with white wall tires this seven speed cruiser was going to carry me through the rural scenery of corn and beans. All adjustments made I was ready to go. It felt like I lived on one big hill, constantly pushing and slowly struggling to move down the road. Inhaler at the ready puff after puff was needed. I must be really out of shape. After several adventures on the bike being left in the dust by Ron, I began to think maybe it was the bike and not my athletic deficits. Any justification as this point would be welcome.

I Googled "why is my bike hard to pedal" and came up with a short list of brakes,bearings, and derailleur issues to check out. So with an allen wrench and other tools I approached my beautiful torture machine. The front brakes were tight upon the rim. While able to turn the wheel, it was not free and not true. It rubbed against the brakes. Justification!!  Now I was no longer pathetic, but empowered to think I rode miles with this added tension. I raise my arms in flexed victory to my bold pursuit of strength.

I tried to adjust the brakes. To no avail I could not get a good stopping result, lever control, and free wheel. Back to Google revealed the information of spoke wrenches, and the engineering of the wheel. Spokes run on each side of the rim to the hub. When in proper alignment and tension they make a wheel true, or balance side to side, and round. When not in proper tension the wheel will waver side to side and rub on the brakes. This adjustment requires a spoke wrench so the nipple does not get stripped and proper adjustments can be made easily. When proper tension is achieved the wheel runs true or straight.

Recently I was reading Titus for a Bible study. I was intrigued to find that the meaning of the term self control is not about abstinence from all things deemed wicked by the fundamental church. It is about running true and in a divine balance. The meaning is about safe inner outlook. biblehub.com   It is all about living with a divine outlook and it is personal. To run "true" is not the same for everyone. God meets us all differently and so if we look at humanity as one giant wheel each spoke is adjusted into its own unique tension. If we look at this individually we each need to have every spoke of our lives in proper balance. With God our hub each element must be adjusted for us to run true. As we ride down the road it isn't about brute strength. We must evaluate our path and the elements on it and adjust accordingly. Using the tools of wrenches and nipple keys we tighten and loosen each spoke in order to run true. We evaluate through prayer and scripture and as in most things experimentation what keeps each of us in balance with God and the world "around" us. 

As this Sabbath begins with foggy insistence with the humidity high and the temperatures destined to be higher I pray balance. I pray a day where God, praise, and thanksgiving give rise the rest of soul and body and an inner outlook sets you on the true path and an easier ride.

Ann