I had 28 minutes for my lunch break.
Not enough time for an epic ride. No mountains, no impressive watts, no heroic suffering. Just enough time to get on the bike and disappear for a little while.
It was windy, the road wasn’t particularly smooth, and my legs were doing what legs do when asked to pedal in the middle of a working day.
But after a few minutes, the office had disappeared.
There was just the road, the sound of the tyres, the wind and the rhythm of turning the pedals.
Then I noticed some poppies growing by the side of the road.
And for some reason I thought of the Buddha holding up a flower.
According to the story, the Buddha once stood before an assembly and, instead of giving a teaching, simply held up a flower.
Everyone remained silent.
Mahākāśyapa smiled.
The Buddha said that Mahākāśyapa alone had received his teaching.
I don’t know what Mahākāśyapa saw.
He probably wasn’t riding a bicycle down a winding road during his lunch break either.
But there I was, looking at those poppies.
For a moment there wasn’t much to add.
No explanation. No need to turn them into something else.
Just flowers at the side of the road.
Then the road curved, my attention returned to the bike, and I kept pedalling.
Soon enough, the ride was over and I was back at work.
Nothing had changed.
The world was — is — just the same.
No grand truth.
Just enjoy the flowers.
And if you feel like it, smile.
