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| Friday. You have a bicycle. There's the road. Any questions? |
My view of Friday is that it serves as a bridge to Saturday, for preparing for the ride or rides that are planned for the weekend. When the sky is blue yet slightly overcast, the temperature medium-hot, and the road wide, flat, and empty like this, a swerve toward not-work would be understandable. That is, starting the weekend a day early, I mean, in the face of overwhelming evidence that it would be the Best Thing to do. Going straight means work, turning toward the mountain on the right, or the mountain on the left, early weekend!! Hello, work, it's me. Yeah, listen, I'm just not feeling it today. Not feeling it. Hey, thanks for providing me this neat smart phone so that I can check the weather, see that the conditions are perfect for a ride, map it out, then call you to tell you to fuggettabouddit. No, no, not a reflection of you in any way, listen, let's apply the reasonable person standard: ask ourselves, in this situation, what would a reasonable person choose? Joe Cyclist, just an average guy, sitting at this red light, I'm thinking of the fellow at the end of the movie Cast Away, where he's standing at a crossroad and the future hinges on the simple choice of which road he takes. For if I have learned anything, it's that the simple choices, which road, which direction, where to ride, with whom, that turn out to be the life-drivers, the changers, the directors. No pressure. Hey, light's changing. I think I'll ride...that way.
Ah yes, I know the symptoms of wanderlust pretty well. You got it, John. Or is it Jack?
ReplyDeleteWonderful families aside, sometimes I want to chuck it all and not take that turn towards work. Take the other road and just keep pedaling...
We make these expeditions from the ordinary, and return renewed. The small question: ...or keep on pedaling?
DeleteEven with all the fatigue from the ride, during today's rest day I began dreaming of what's next for me regarding cycling and what I'll do when I get home. So far, I've decided to start mountain biking, participate in some time trials, and start mapping out some short self-supported rides for next summer. Work is far from my mind.
ReplyDeleteIt's all in which road you take, JK. And a clear mind really helps with the choice.
DeleteOooo . . . On balmy, sunny days I am so tempted to mumble fuggettabouddit!
ReplyDeleteGive in, give in, give in... :)
DeleteI knew I wasn't the only one who was tempted this way...and THAT way. Nice post, but dangerous for people like me.
ReplyDeleteAfter giving careful consideration to the danger that you bring up, and looking at all known factors, my recommendation is that you head THAT way.
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