Classical Music

I like to keep lists of things. I have a list of all the birds I've seen in my lifetime, a list of mammals, a list of dragonflies and damselflies that I've seen. I have a list of every city I've ever been in and every country I've been in. (Cities: 246, countries: 28) I also have a "Favorites" list which has my favorite books, movies, foods, and music. I've recently been working on my list of favorite classical pieces. That's what I was thinking about as I set out on my ride today. 

Some of my favorite pieces are the ones everybody knows like Tchaikovsky's "Waltz of the Flowers" or Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata." Some are a little less well known like Bach's "Little Prelude No. 1." It's a perfect searching task which is something I find to be very soothing. And the music itself is also soothing. Sometimes it's stirring, too and evokes a deep feeling in my heart. It taps into a reservoir of feeling that doesn't usually rise to the surface in my everyday life. And it is very pleasant. 

One of the things I discovered with all my searching is that I love Mendelssohn. So I set out to make a list of all my favorite Mendelssohn pieces. I looked on Amazon Music and also went to the library and checked out a Works for Cello and Piano cd which has 12 of Mendelssohn's pieces in it. So far, I love it. It looked like they had about fifteen different Mendelssohn cds available to check out. That could be fun.

It was a cool, cloudy day for riding and the canal rippled under the variable breezes. I'm fascinated by slow, moving water. And I spent some time just looking out at the water as I rode. I passed some ducks and geese. The goslings are getting so big! They almost look like adults. 

I stopped at one point and kicked a rock off the path. I did this yesterday twice. It just takes a second but might help my fellow riders. I noticed that someone had cleaned up all the glass that had broken on the part of the path where the goslings are. We've got to take care of each other.

Bicycling and the way it soothes the mind is one of the joys of my life. It's a way to refresh me in body and spirit. I used to listen to music while I rode on trails or on Mt. Tabor, but now I don't. I think that's not very smart and that you need your ears to help you be aware of other riders. So instead I just spend time with my thoughts as I ride and then come home, open up some music to enjoy afterward.