This email is coming to you from Tremp, Spain, where we’ve been riding bikes in the Pyrenees all week!
The trip has been a proper mountain biking adventure with the typical crazy steep descents and some long bike carries up the side of mountains!
Here’s what I’ve found fun, interesting, or noteworthy this week…
What are you training for –
This is the common question we get in the U.S. when people see us working out so hard, followed by the blank stare and silence after we tell them: “life.” Sometimes it’s accompanied by a bit of annoyance or even anger. Not joking!
Well, we had no idea that we’d be doing very hard, high-elevation, full-gear bike carries up Pyrenees mountains on this trip.
And this is exactly why we train!
To be ready for whatever fun (or hard, or not fun, or emergency) life throws at us!
Anyone not following a hard training program would have a VERY hard time with these bike carries.
And they are SO FREAKING RAD!!!
Best pizza of the trip (so far) –
Down an alley in the Gothic area of Barcelona, we found a pizza place called L’Antico Borgo Napoletano with some delicious Napoli pizza!
The beauty of being disconnected –
On this trip to Europe, we decided to NOT buy the cheap eSIM to stay connected to the world all the time.
Now, if you remember our last trip to Europe, buying the eSIM backfired when my phone died after the third day. So, I didn’t actually get to use it and was disconnected for that trip as well.
What I’ve experienced by being disconnected is that I’m less anxious, less distracted, and more engaged with those around me. I’ve also found that if I’m not looking at my phone, those around me stop looking at theirs as well.
This time, I’m taking this insight back to the U.S. and my normal life. I’ll avoid using my phone for social media, email, or other distractions just to waste or fill time. So, the phone stays in my pocket unless I’m taking videos/pictures, learning, or for intentional communication.
I’m thinking I’ll actually schedule specific times during the day to allow myself some “waste time” on the phone.
Have any of you implemented a life-giving strategy like this?
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That’s what I have for you this week. I’m off to enjoy the last day of my mountain biking adventure! Have a great weekend!
Cheers,
Joe
