I fell off my bike. On flat ground. While going 3 mph. And I’m not talking about a graceful little tip.
It was a full-body fall, with a 40-pound mountain bike on top of me, road rash, bruised thigh, and a sprained bicep that still screams when I brush my hair.
The worst part?
I wasn’t doing anything difficult.
Just a simple U-turn. No traffic. No incline. No excuse.
Except one: My head was somewhere else.
Gnawing on a personal problem.
Playing and replaying the same script on a mental loop while my body just… did what it always does.
Until it didn’t.
This, friends, is what happens when your Activity runs on autopilot, but your attention is held hostage.
And in the SNAK model I lean on [Skills, Network, Activities, Knowledge] that third letter? It matters more than we think.
Because Activities are where our intentions hit the pavement. Literally, in my case.
It’s easy to talk about big goals, high-level strategy, and transformation.
But sometimes the most dangerous moments aren’t the dramatic ones; they’re the everyday tasks we’ve done a hundred times without thinking.
Especially when our minds are someplace painful.
When the weight we’re carrying isn’t just the bike.
So, here’s my reminder (and maybe yours):
Being present isn’t about mindfulness mantras or perfectly planned calendars.
It’s about actually being in your body when it’s doing the thing.
Even the simple thing.
Especially the simple thing.
And when your mind won’t stay put; when it’s chewing on something you can’t quite solve… you need something that brings you back.
For me, it’s writing.
It’s how I re-center.
It’s my way of yelling into the void,
“I’m still here, I’m still learning.”
It helps me make sense of things I can’t fix and turns small falls into signposts,
pain into pattern recognition,
and a bruised ego into something a little more useful.
That’s my way. Yours might be different.
But whatever it is, find it. Use it. Trust it.
And if you do fall; off a bike, in a meeting, or in the middle of your own overthinking… get up, take the lesson, and maybe… let it lead you back to yourself.
