I have a Jet Pack, It has Two Wheels

There are very few things in life that truly captivate us. We all have that "thing" that when we tell our friends about, there is that goofy look on our faces. We say things like, "you just don't know unless you do it." Don't get me wrong, we have an seemingly infinite amount of choices. But it is unrealistic to think that we would somehow be captivated by all of them. For some it's hunting, or cooking, or running, or having a family, or being a musician, or being an artist, or teaching, or gardening, or playing a sport, or watching a team or any number of things. When you do that thing that you do that captivates you so much, you look at the rest of the world that doesn't do that thing and wonder how they can live with themselves everyday, Almost "what get's them out of bed in the morning?" mentality. The truly remarkable thing is that there are so many things and it makes all of us so uniquely different. For me there are really two things that get me going. One of those is riding my bike. I know that this brings back memories of cruising your neighborhood on your ten speed Huffy, but I think that I've advanced a little beyond that. I started really riding again when I graduated college. No longer did I have to worry about falling and hampering my baseball career. I started to dabble into mountain biking but then moved to PCB and really just kind of forgot about it. When I moved to Miami, I bought a TREK and started biking to school, about 3.5 miles each way. Sometime in this time frame, a feeling started to develop inside me. I started riding on the road more, going faster, hitting up trails at Oleta, I was in love. The more I researched it, the more stoke I gained. I started riding clipped in (attached to the pedals), started researching trips and places to go, I couldn't get enough. My love for this sport grew exponentially when I bought a fixed gear. I put a brake on it and started flying through Miami traffic. Downtown, FIU, Doral, it didn't matter. The speed and the thrill of pushing your body as hard as it will go is indescribable. Strange though, I never thought this to be weird. What I mean is that, I thought that I would get tired of riding, tired of putting my body and life on the line in Miami traffic. IT just developed into a passion and a love. My students were puzzled that I rode my bike everywhere. I'm sure my parents worried(y). And I certainly haven't made any friends on the road. But, like I mentioned earlier, it's more than just something to do, or just something that I do. As nostalgic as this may seem, cycling has become more to me than just a hobby. It has begun to be ingrained in me. If I didn't have my bikes, I would be heart broken. The same way I'm sure that many of you would feel if your couldn't do that thing in which you have passion. (queue the cheesy ending paragraph) When I'm on my bike I feel as if the world opens up. I can go anywhere without the need of gas. I'm open to the world around me. The rain doesn't bother me. It boosts my metabolism. I don't have to pay for parking (or deal with it for that matter). Rush hour is no problem. My bikes look good. I enjoy tinkering with them. And they give me my adrenaline fix. It's something I can't describe on a level in which I feel it. But I'm not going to try. All because, I don't have to. And really you already know the feeling, it's in the things you're passionate about. Check out this video from the last Critical Mass Miami. Can you find me? Hint: I'm somewhere between the :35 and :55 second marks.