Sunday ChitChat, just in time 😜

Hello,

I think I’m just in time to respond to this new Sunday call.

This time there are no time‑windows, no tricks pulled from up the sleeve… just a few hours left before the counter stops. So let’s get to it.

Before anything else, I must tell you that, on a friend’s recommendation, another book found its way into my ReadEra library, and today I began reading it. It’s The Bridge Where Butterflies Live by Nazareth Castellanos, and I feel it has arrived at the right moment — as everything that comes into our lives or leaves them does. I know it’s hard to believe or accept certain things, but the day always comes when everything becomes clear, and that’s when we say: ah, now I understand, that’s why it was…

But I’m in the cycling community, so let’s talk about bicycles. Mine, I must say, is a perfect example of something that arrived at the right time, becoming both a refuge and a means of growth for me in the midst of a complex situation that shows no sign of easing — on the contrary, it keeps getting more complicated.

Still, the bicycle has taken me to places I never imagined I’d go. They’re still close by, true, but it’s only a matter of time before I start exploring further afield. After all, in life, before running we must first learn to walk. The same applies to this activity, which demands training, strength, and the right mindset.

Answering the initiative’s questions:

At home there’s only one being who looks sad whenever she sees me getting ready to go out — not because I’m going cycling, but simply because she doesn’t want to be left alone, or rather, she doesn’t want to be without me. And I understand her perfectly, because love is like that…

I’m speaking of my dog Chanel. 😄

My mother doesn’t live with me, and most of the time I don’t even tell her I’m going cycling or that I plan to go somewhere by bike, so she won’t worry too much. She only finds out once I’ve returned home. It’s complicated, I know there are many dangers out there, but what sense is there in thinking about them all the time? I believe feeding that low vibration attracts them, and besides, it paralyses us. We’d never do anything — think about it — because living itself is an extreme danger, and also the most beautiful thing when we gain clarity in certain aspects of it. So any day could be our last on this earth, or in this plane, and yet we don’t think of that when we get out of bed. Instead, we give thanks for a new opportunity, don’t we?

Quite recently I received a message from my sister, advising me that I should ease off the bike for a bit, since things aren’t great right now (she means the situation in the country) and she thinks they’re only going to get worse. 😐

I’ve been at this tough job of reprogramming my mind for quite a while now, and it’s full of complications… mainly because you’re always dealing with family and friends who are still stuck in the old beliefs you’re trying to move past.

Take the other day, for instance — I went out on my bike and got caught in a proper downpour. I shared the video with two close relatives and both came back with similar comments. One said: ‘You’ll catch a cold, keep pedalling but don’t get wet.’ The other said: ‘Go on then, get soaked, but don’t complain later about a sore throat.’

Thing is, I didn’t get ill. I’m not saying they weren’t happy for me deep down, but they didn’t show it, nor did they ask about the new places I’d been. They only focused on the idea that I might get sick from the rain.

As a kid I was always poorly — the slightest breeze and I’d be down with something. And that carried on until just a few years ago. But once I started thinking differently, getting drenched in the rain stopped being a problem.

I’m not claiming to be immune to colds, stomach bugs or infections, but I do believe that whenever I do fall ill it’s because I’m feeling really low, and then my immune system gives way.

And about time… well, since I live alone and manage my own schedule — being ~~unemployed~~ my own boss — I can hop on the bike whenever I fancy. Sometimes I hold myself back and say: finish this job or that one first, whether it’s in the house or the garden, then you can head out for a ride. And that’s what I do. Sometimes it’s not just about rides, but about opportunities — like making a delivery for a bit of pay, picking up groceries, or running some other errand.

The photos with this post are from one of my bike rides — just a casual outing. The first three were taken at La Puntilla, from where I snapped views of the Vedado neighbourhood that I didn’t have in my collection. The rest are from a spot where I’d never photographed the sea in this way before, all rough and swirling. It’s a coastal stretch in Playa where you can see rectangular spaces shaped like swimming pools.

I believe that before 1959 they belonged to wealthy people, or perhaps formed part of a club or seaside resort. You can still spot remnants of tiles from that era, which makes me wonder how on earth they managed to lay them there under the water. I’ve never yet found a photo showing what it looked like back then.

Anyway, that’s me done for today. Catch you soon — enjoy the small pleasures in life. The problems will still be there, waiting for us to tackle them.