Used To, But Now

I used to ride bikes a lot. Almost daily I rode to work and some other evening ride. On weekends I'd travel to far away places to meet new people and race with them. It was a lot of fun and I wasn't too bad at it.

Now things are different. Due to some life choices, I hardly have time(and definitely not the stamina) to ride even once a week.

It's ok. They are all choices I willingly made. Sometimes it's tough - tonight's ride was particularly difficult - but I still have a lot to appreciate.

• Riding alone at night in the woods brings a certain awareness for things living and watching me just outside my field of light that I'd normally be going too fast to perceive.
• Having a puppy sleep precariously across my lap as I sit in a straight back wooden chair shows an amazing amount of trust or the simple desire for something to be next to you regardless of risk.
• Cooperatively sharing responsibilities with a spouse when both of you are exhausted and at wits end over domestic and job related stresses - things just have to be done, so you do what you can when you can for each other.

It may not mount to the quantity of miles I've seen, but the quality of experience is surpassed by few.

- b