Riding at Night

It's amazing how quickly time can go by. I know it's cliche to say that I'm noticing this more as I get older, but somehow, in my internal clock, I feel like it shouldn't be mid-November; it should be, say, August 15th. My riding as of late has consisted of trips to the grocery, library, doctor, pharmacy. That kind of thing. I suppose our lives would be considered painfully boring from the outside, but we're trying to save money so we've been sticking close to home. We're both introverts so our favorite thing is to spend time together, cooking and laughing, eating cheap delicious food and drinking wine. A trip to Whole Foods by bike has become quite the outing; about 30 minutes of riding each way, hot mulled apple cider when you walk in the door. A couple of weeks ago we rode home from Whole Foods with 2 cases of a cheap but very drinkable wine called Three Wishes. That was fun.

I did take my road bike out for a ride last week, but sadly I didn't have time to write about it. It was a ride filled with long shadows, slippery pine needles and cool Fall air. But, mostly I have settled into a more sedentary lifestyle. My appetite is a pittance of what it was during my heavy riding weeks. (Which is actually kind of nice). I still get at least an hour of exercise a day, sometimes 2 or more, but I've also been playing my piano and guitar more. It feels like a nice, welcome change in this cool, rainy weather.

Then, last week, my husband had a freak accident. He hit his head really hard on a doorway and because of the severity of the bleeding we had to take him to the ER. It was just one of those crazy things that can happen and luckily we have good insurance, but instantly, in both of us, fear of cycling reared its ugly head.

It's such an uncomfortable thing to be afraid of something you love so much. This seems to keep happening to me, though, so I guess I better get used to it. I actually think a healthy respect for the dangers inherent in cycling keeps you from having accidents. And, if anything, Peter's accident should remind us that nothing in life is completely safe so you should just do what you love and trust that you'll be able to handle it if something bad happens. Oh, how I wish I was a person who could glide through life with that kind of confidence.

Anyway, last night, I had an hour off so I decided to go for a short ride. As I pulled out of the driveway, I thought, It's dark, wet, and there are leaves all over the road. If there is a way to get over fear of cycling, this is it.

Like always, I had a great time. I have fabulous lights. My front Cygolite is like one of those prison lights; it's absolutely blinding. My rear light (Planet Bike, I think) can be seen a mile away. It is so dark here in November, December and January, it seems like you are always riding with your lights on.

So, that's what I've been up to. Simple living, music, food, wine, laughter and an unpleasant dose of fear of cycling angst. I love my bikes, though and I love to ride so I always work through it. Always.