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I was in Chicago last week and went to see the polar bears at the Lincoln Park Zoo. I stood in front of the glass for about 45 minutes, watching the polar bear pair swim in repetitive, looping arcs, round and round, one clockwise, the other counterclockwise (one must have been from the Antarctic). There’s nothing quite so peaceful and mesmerizing as watching polar bears swim. The one you see here, would gulp some air, dive to the bottom, push off a rock, woosh past the glass, look down, turn around, push off the wall, and do it all over again, and again, and again. I couldn’t figure out whether or not he was doing it to amaze the visitors peering through from the visitor side of the glass partition, or whether he was doing it just for the sake of doing it. I worried he might be sad.

But then, I thought about one of my favorite things to do, ride my recumbent trike. Sometimes, after a long ride, when it’s getting a little too dark to safely ride on the street, or when I want to stay pretty close to home, I ride circles around First English Lutheran Church. The congregation at FELC has been thoughtful enough to construct their parking lot in an approximate 1/10th mile oval. It’s smoothly paved, no bumps, fairly level, with just enough variation to make it interesting. Riding around the circle can be mesmerizing. I know I’ve done up to 10 miles (100 laps) at a stretch. It’s soothing, calming, and entirely enjoyable, riding around and around.

So, if I were not so busy, with work, school, and other stuff, and was held captive in a large, walled-in viewing area, I might be inclined to ride my trike around in endless, looping circles. I think I’d go clockwise. And if there were little kids? Yeah, I think I’d ride right up to the glass and swiftly swoop away.

So, when life is getting a little too hectic, think of the polar bears at the Lincoln Park Zoo, and do a little “transcontinental” meditation. Imagine yourself on display someplace far away, perhaps even on Kurt Vonnegut’s planet Tralfamador. Envision yourself looping around and around, amazing visitors with your looping and looping around. Works for the polar bears. Works for me. I suggest you give it a try.

10-4,

Barry