The Simple Joy of Riding a Bike.

In the past few years, I've discovered a superpower that fuels my creativity, sets the stage for focus and keeps me sane. I ride my bike to work.

About 5 years ago, I woke up to the fact that I had a problem. I was miserable, burning the candle at every point, sacrificing my family for work and in a deep hole of addiction. I took a hard look at where I was headed and made some real changes, among them leaving the company I was a part of and moving to an office just down the street from my home. I got sober, and got my family back. I was lucky. I got a second chance. And I started riding my bike again. I started to breathe again.

I've always loved riding bikes. My dad did too and instilled a love for it in my early years. I would explore the trails that cut through the woods behind our house in Virginia. When I was a teenager I would ride into DC from my neighborhood in the suburbs. And when I was in my 20's and living in San Francisco, it was the perfect way to get around a 49 square mile city and keep in shape. Those hills build legs!

Fast forward a few years and I'm living and working in L.A. Home was Silverlake and the job was in Venice Beach. That's a lot of time in the car, on top of the 10 hour days in front of the computer. I put on weight, and to cope with the stress, started drinking. A lot. I became a slave to my job, afraid to say no to weekend work and very late nights. I have too many memories to count of driving home on the 10 freeway at 2am, only to get up 4 hours later and do it all again.

I was on a hamster wheel, and would stay there for another 10 years. I ran faster and faster, but didn't get to where I was going. I was zooming along at 100 miles an hour, without a clue as to where I was headed. It's hard to see clearly when your vision is blurred.

This morning, I rode with my daughter to school and then into the office. It was a glorious fall morning, the trail lined with bright yellow and orange trees. I'm incredibly fortunate to live and work just blocks from the Cherry Creek Trail, a gem of a bike path that cuts through Denver. For 25 minutes in the morning, I breathe in fresh air, hear the birds singing, and get my heart rate up. And when the day is done after a reasonable amount of time in the studio, I hop back on the bike and get out all the ya-ya's that have built up over the day. And every time I ride to work I realize just how lucky I am to have been able to start again, to do what I love and to live in a small corner of heaven.