Back in the Saddle

I always wanted a horse. Typical, I know, but it was heart-felt. My friend Jeanine had one and so did Michelle. I did my best to convince them, but somehow my parents couldn't give up the suburban neighborhood life in exchange for acreage, a large animal, and vet's bills.

But they bought me a bicycle. It was a shimmery blue Schwinn- much better than the rusty little green bike my Grandfather rescued from the creek and fixed up for us. And it was mine; I picked it out myself at the store. As a middle child, that was a very valuable thing. While my older sister enjoyed climbing trees and reading great books, I loved nothing more than to feel the wind on my face as I raced up and down the neighborhood streets. Later, this turned into a deep desire to drive long distances with the windows down. As I once wrote in my Franklin planner, "I drive to let the wind blow the dust out of my soul." It sounds more melodramatic than I intended.

I've hardly used a bicycle since I learned to drive. I had a red one at Stanford but I sold it when it became clear that I wasn't going to use it much with a baby or while in Turkey. I did miss that feeling of freedom and speed and power that only a good bike ride can provide, though. Somewhat wistfully, I watched the serious cyclists in Palo Alto and then in Vermont and said to myself, "I'd like to do that. If I ever let my inner athlete out, that's what it would look like."

I've watched my girls practice learning to ride and watched my husband take his bicycle to work many times over the last few weeks and it finally dawned on me: I don't have to have my own bike to go riding, duh. I can use his! So I handed him the childcare relay baton and left on a little Saturday morning ride. It wasn't 6 miles into DC or anything. No, I raced up and down our very hilly neighborhood streets and dipped into the Four Mile Run trail a bit. I don't know how long I was gone, but it was long enough to feel two things: the burn in my legs that reminded me that it's been too long, and the invigorating clarity in my soul that reminded me that I love to ride.