Tag: H.G. Wells

  • Time. Warped

    “We must not allow the clock and the calendar to blind us to the fact that each moment of life is a miracle and mystery.” ― H. G. Wells

    In a time warp kind of year, where the very idea of time seems askew, some perspective from H. G. Wells seemed appropriate. When we think about all that’s happened this summer, let alone this year, it might feel as if someone is playing with the clock and calendar to jamb more transformative change into ever tighter increments of time. Personally I’ve seen more twists and turns and backflips to my sense of what makes up normal than you see in an Olympic gymnastics floor routine. And August is stacked—doubling down on the crazy.

    None of this is new, only our perspective has changed. The world marches along at maddening speed, and we are either witnesses or active participants. Predictable is nice, but surprising developments and plot twists are what take our breath away. Life should be a fascinating page-turner, not some tedious slog through required reading. Instead of feeling overwhelmed we might simply say, “Wow, I didn’t see that coming” and muster up the courage to write the next scene.

    This is our time, for all its glory and ugliness. We may revel in the former while finding some way through the latter to better days. It all may feel warped in some moments but the pace of change has always been relative to how we look at such things anyway. All that ever matters is what we make of this—our day. Leaving the rest to history.

  • An Adult on a Bicycle

    “Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the future of the human race.”
    ― H.G. Wells

    It’s hard to believe I went years without riding a bicycle. I mean, I had two hanging in the garage just waiting for me all that time. When the time came I had to hose off the gathered dust, give both a tune up and generous helping of chain oil before tentatively rolling off on the first ride on each. The road bike needed a cleaning, the mountain bike needed a new chain, and here I am riding bicycles again. Why do we postpone the things we love in favor of responsibility and rigid structure to our days? We only have so many of them.

    Want to add a bit of joy to your life? Roll down a quiet road or trail on a bicycle, feel the breeze pick up as you gain speed and watch time slip away as you fly. Cycling is a worthy diversion from the tumultuous, divided time we find ourselves in. To do seemingly frivolous things is to choose joyfulness over tedium.

    The thing is, it’s not frivolous at all. I’m sore in new places from the miles I’ve ridden over the last few days. I forgot how many hills there are in this small town. But for every climb there’s an opportunity to roll down the other side. The mileage adds up quickly riding a bicycle, and the workouts are always interesting. Winter will be here soon enough, summer is the time to be outside doing things we won’t always be able to do. Time will catch us one day, so peddle like mad to stay ahead of it.

    What is the point of all this carrying on about riding a bicycle? Well, it’s about finding delight where we can in worthy pursuits outside the norm. Being a kid again in some small, rebellious way. Leave others to their treadmills and Pelotons and reps, we might choose to fly instead.