Back on the Road!
So I spent most of the last couple of weeks off my bike, waiting for this saddle sore to heal (and I will never, ever use that saddle again, so say I), eating too much junk and feeling cranky. But yesterday, my various bits and pieces felt pretty good so I bundled myself up in my below freezing costume, and biked to school.
My trip started a little badly because I haven't ridden Ariel (my pretty blue hybrid) since I got the Bella Donna... But I can ride the Bella Donna to school, ever, because she's just.. way too nice of a bike to leave barely locked outside of a school near a bad neighborhood. I mean, I'm sensible and I lock up right next to campus security, but still.
So I climbed on Ariel and started peddling, grumbling to myself about how heavy we were and how much stuff we had and how I wished I was on Bella... But then I started my first big hill of the route and stopped thinking about anything but climbing. Once I got off the hills and onto the bike trail flatland, it suddenly occurred to me that I was having a really good time. I was on my bike again, which I've been whining about for the past two weeks. I was outside in the fresh air and chilly sunlight, all my extremities were covered up exactly the way they needed to be, so I wasn't cold anywhere... I was just completely, blissfully happy.
Ariel is not a fast, sleek ride the way the Bella Donna is... But she's a really -comfortable- ride. Knowing that she's not built for speed seems to give me permission to slow down and relax. With her upright geometry, I'm sitting tall and pretty and I can look around at what is the best beloved and most beautiful state I've ever been in.
Life is good. ^_^