Next Words

Last week
I had the psychic’s words
running in my head,
“to take notes for another planet.”

This week, I’ll start to speak those notes,
and start to share them,
starting with next week’s podcast,
for now, first notes.

Notes from another planet

Those were his first words to me,
the psychic who asked to visit me,
curious about my developing The ICE Method
“I feel you are here from another planet…

“It’s like your job is to have experiences
and take notes so you can bring them back
to your planet and explain life on earth.”
“Nice to meet you too,” I replied.

Notes from a Cross-Country Bicyclist

When I am old, about to die,
if someone is there to ask, I’ll tell them about
the most pivotal summer of my life,
the summer of my 25th year.

After stepping out of an engineering PhD program,
after building windmills in Denmark for a year,
I returned home to Los Angeles, loaded my bicycle
and started pedaling East.

For three months, for over 6,000 miles,
I cycled into hospitality.

The Grand Canyon, the Rockies,
The Great Plains, Eastern Canada,
the hot, the dry, the single day of rain,
all the starry nights – stunning.

The Rhode Island couple who took me in,
fed me, gave me a bed,
then took me along
on their trip to Manhattan,

I remember them, and 6,000 miles
of people just like them, each in their own way,
the family in Nebraska,
who included me in their family reunion dinner.

On that trip – I remember pure hospitality,
never a fearful moment arose,
and I took from that ride the direction of my life,
to live faithful to this experience of

generosity,
adventure,
compassion,
hospitality.

I went to seminary
to explore a bicycle ride.
I unicycled across America
so I wouldn’t forget the lessons of a bicycle.

Notes for another planet
today from a bicycle,
with wishes for blessings,
on all your own journeys.