The power of one change

The last time I tried an e-bike was not long after they’d been invented. That changed a week and a bit ago when a friend loaned me her Trek Fuel EXe. (Thanks beyond words, Laura Renshaw!)

With a heap of improvements in tech since the early days of eebs, I felt like me, and rode like me, but more like when I was fitter. What I loved just as much was the bigger, burlier bike factor, and what the more stable frame geometry allowed that my down-country bike needs more finessing to achieve.

New lines opened up, new sensations came with them, a new appreciation of bikes and places emerged, all the while feeling so chuffed to have a friend that would offer up her bike for a loan and make this experience possible.

At the heart of everything I do with Intelligent Action is the idea that what we think isn’t just something that happens in a brain, but something that happens in a body, in a place, with tools and technology, with other people, and in different contexts. Change one element and you’ll impact the others.

In this case, it wasn’t (just) the bike that was transformative, it was the actions of a friend. Someone who knew I’d been feeling like rubbish lately after some immune system challenges, but also knew how much a good bike ride with some lovely people could help with that. As my body moved and conversations flowed, thoughts shifted, and a sense of fun and play returned that carried into life off the bike as well.

I hope that some kind of passion or hobby does this regularly for you too. If it doesn’t, see how changing up one element of what you do shakes up some of the others!