Happiness on a Bike

Last night's ride was uphill, head-on into fierce wind gusts. Exaaaactly what I needed after a long day of work. ugh. I huffed up the St. John's hill, focusing on anything except the futility of my efforts, and finally made it to the top. A few minutes later I rounded the corner into my neighborhood, perfectly sheltered from the harsh blowing wind. It was peaceful... almost still... a stark contrast from the violent ride I had just been experiencing. I looked around me for the first time in miles. There was a dog lying observantly on his porch, Japanese paper lanterns swaying in a tree in someone's backyard, and an old woman gracefully teaching the neighbor kid Thai Chi on her front lawn. How beautiful! Even the pavement felt smoother here. It was good to come home and have everything right again. Had I been in my car, I would have missed these tiny details. Bike riding is pretty o.k. if you ask me :-)