Why ride a bike?

Yesterday, being I had some spare time, because I wasn't going to spend  my whole day on a bicycle and had a 30 mile recovery sort of ride planned. So I thought I would do the manly thing like the rest of the neighborhood man crowd and do some yard work. My first thought was WOW!!!! weeds have taken over. Now I am not a 'yard freak' but if you don't do some basics, especially with the hard soil I have here, this yard will get totally overtaken with weeds. This was the worst I have ever seen it. So I mention this to Birgit.
She says back to me, "Well remember last year you

were going after your "ride a 100 centuries" goals, fell behind, and said you would have to let some other things go, and 'get er done'?" It wasn't a complaint from her, but just an observation. That got me thinking about all this. Seems I use almost all my vacation days, weekends, and times after work riding a bike somewhere. All that riding requires a lot of time consuming bike maintenance and part replacement also. So it takes a lot of time. Spose I could change my evil ways. Keep my yard up, wash and wax my car on weekends. Could probably get my house projects completed, maybe join a bowling team on Tuesdays, and darts on Thursday. Maybe a golf league on Wednesdays or perhaps find a 8 ball team. Take my dog for walks, and join a pet club. I bet there is all kinds of other stuff I could find to do.



But where would that leave me at the end of the day? The end of the year? The end of me? I get along with people fine, but I am not that  social of a person for these gatherings. Activities like golf, bowling, darts, don't seem to have meaning to me. There is too much time in between turns, you have to count on others, you can't push yourself, take risks, or face challenges.

So I guess I'll remain a bike rider. It doesn't have a thing to do with what is better, or who is better doing what. Makes no difference to me, because see, I get to ride a bike in rain, on hot days, in snow and ice, and beautiful spring days. Being sidelined from physical endeavors with some chronic joint inflammation recently, made me realize what a wonderful gift health is, I am not going to waste that health and sit on the couch and know all the TV shows. I choose instead to fly like an eagle, down a dirt road, somewhere in Iowa, on my well tuned bike, with all kinds of  thoughts in my head, and a smile on my face.

I say no more, I have a bike waiting.
Dave


Recommended reading, my seeesters blog tonight.    click ---->  Here