I haven’t ridden a bicycle in 20 years, yet lately, my husband and I have been talking about riding them. So, when a mountain bike went on sale at a price we couldn’t ignore, we decided why not? Thinking they’d be sold out at that price, we found one locally and a half-hour away. We headed home and got them assembled. Helmet on, I carefully sat down and pedaled.
At first, it was hard to keep my balance and I wobbled. The seat was uncomfortable, and the handlebars made me huddle over. Still, I felt adventurous and headed onto our magical trail that my husband had been working on for the last year. I could navigate my way through the first part but then had to get off and walk it up the hill. After that, I was feeling each bump and some parts of the trail weren’t wide enough to accommodate my lack of practice.
So I headed back to the driveway. Here I found my balance in the simple back and forth. My husband would join in my driveway riding, then head to the front part of the trail, and meet me at the end of our driveway. With the sun in my face and the wind blowing in my hair, I remembered the days of my youth. The carefree expression on my husband’s face said it all. It was like years hadn’t passed for that moment, but then reality interrupted. My body insisted I stop. So I did and carefully parked my new bike with a smile on my face.
Since we had matching bikes, I had to add some bling to mine. I borrowed some Disney stickers from my granddaughter and made my mark with hearts, kittens, and flowers. It was mine now as my husband made some small adjustments to my bike for comfort.
The next day feeling inspired, I added riding my bike up and down the driveway after our walk with our dog, Sara on the magical trail, along with running a small part to this new routine. It is what I now call the Denise-a-thon, walking, running and riding. Yes, I stroll more than walk fast, my jog is a slow trudge matched by my husband’s fast pace, and I only ride up, and down the driveway three times, but it’s a good start.
I’ve been having a bit of youthful fun, and I haven’t fallen off the bike. Although I took a fall during the run portion of the Denise-a-thon when my toe caught a root while I was trying to pass Sara. She seems to think it’s important for her to lead, but when she gets in front of me, she slows way down. Luckily I was okay except for some rather long scratches on my calf and some bruising, from a pile of branches, which are just about healed.
So going down that day and getting those bicycles, I’ve added some fun to my exercise. As the magical trail expands, we keep finding new ways to enjoy it, like adding in bike riding. Then it’s not just the same walk every day with the dog, but it’s always a place to enjoy the peace of the forest. Where we can walk, run, ride bikes, and in the winter snowshoe and sled. My daily walks needed a change which the bike provided, and so does my writing. I’m looking for that writing bicycle to bring back that spark to my rather lackluster writing year. I know that inner child is there waiting patiently down the path on her bike with lots of new stories to share with me as we ride through the paths of life together.
Embrace that inner child with a bike ride! D. L. Finn
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