Dear Friends,
Sudbury has some new gems in the form of new bike trails that have opened or are nearly open. One such path right next to Chabad of Sudbury will be paved in the next few months and it meets up with another section that heads north into Concord.
The nature that is in our backyard is beautiful and these new additions add a whole new element of appreciating the beautiful nature we reside in.
We hope to install a new Bike Parking Rack at Chabad and are exploring installing an air pump near the trail for the benefit of riders, so that they can fill up their tires at Chabad.
As Passover is in the rear view mirror and we count the Omer and head to Lag Baome and Shavuot and their own beautiful messages, I am sharing an adjusted version of an article I wrote a few years ago regarding biking.
_____________________
I was excited to be back on the road, as my bike had had a flat tire which deflated every time I put air in it and it needed to be fixed. This week I finally went to the Bike Store in Sudbury where they helped me repair the bike by changing the the inner tube and tuning up a few more things and making it safe to drive. While it drives well for now, they said it is in need of some major surgery for its long term life.
The person who helped me in the store, showed me what was wrong and explained to me that the tire pressure in my wheels needs to be about 65 – 70lb. I had mistakenly thought that it was around 30lb and had kept it too low and that had caused a hole to form in the inner tube.
He also explained to me, that left unused, the air will slowly deflate over the course of a few weeks and needs to be repumped every so often to get it to its right pressure. Another person who runs a bike rental place told me this week that 90% of the people biking past his shop seem to have low pressure in their tires which they don’t realize is happening.
I learned a few things about tires on bikes.
• Tires which move bikes and people, deflate over time and need to have air pumped in to be able to do their job.
• Occasionally, a hole might form in the inner tube which will either need to be repaired or replaced.
• Most people seem to keep the tire pressure too low, which makes biking harder and slower, the bumps more bumpy, and can ruin the tires long term.
• The air pressure that is required for safe driving and for healthy tires might be more than you realize.
Life isn’t too different as we seek to move along and pedal down the road ahead going up the hills and down the paths and over the bridges and dirt paths that make up life.
Like a bike there are many components that are required to keep the person moving in the right direction. Being full of motivation and joy of life along with a dose of good fairth are probably a good analogy for the air in the tires we wear.
• Too little motivation and spiritual energy, makes the journey harder to complete and a slower and more difficult process.
• It also causes inner tube erosion, as the lack of motivation and inspiration, begins to cause burnout and holes to appear in the inner tube.
• Maintaining a healthy air pressure balance in the tires requires consistent and frequent pumping of air. Don’t expect the air pumped in last week to keep the tires inflated this week to the same degree. Likewise, motivation and spiritual inspiration requires constant input which is why we have daily Mitzvot, Study and rituals which are geared to consistent inspiration and meaning.
• Don’t underestimate your tires, since even though you may be able to get by with a low air pressure, in truth it won’t do the job long term and you will be much better off by putting in more air and doing it more consistently. The ride will be easier, faster and less bumpy as you will glide over many bumps without even realizing they area there.
The bottom line is biking is good for your health, but pump often and keep your air pressure at a good level and keep peddling away on your journey through life.
Shabbat Shalom & Good Shabbos
Yisroel