I spy...

THE LULU CHRONICLES

THINGS I spied today on my bike ride: a pond cleverly hidden behind a house I’d been driving by for years but had never noticed. This same house also sported a lovely screened in back porch that was only a few feet from said pond. Discovering this lovely spot was like being surprised by the taste of mint in something totally unexpected. 

That’s what riding a bike will do for you- you notice things that have been invisible to you when riding in the confines of an automobile. It’s like looking through a window at a summer rain verses kicking your shoes off, walking out the door, and allowing the cool droplets to poke-a-dot your skin. The experience suddenly goes from two-dimensional to Three-D.

My ride this morning was nine miles and just to shake things up a bit, I treated myself to a new route. That’s a great metaphor for my real life right now. I’m taking a new route, however, not one I’ve chosen, nonetheless, one I find myself on all the same. I have discovered both unexpected beauty and heart thumping fear along this new road. The beauty comes in many forms, from a brilliant sunrise I greet after a sleepless night, to a homemade card from a grandchild, to a comforting arm around the shoulders. The fear materializes from the unknown, the failure to be in control, and futile efforts to try and second-guess God.

So, I keep pedaling. Some days, the beauty brings me to my knees; other days the tears do the same thing. I keep pedaling. I keep discovering. I keep pushing back. I keep reaching out. What else am I going to do?

THINGS I hope to spy one day while riding LuLu (sort of a Bucket List for biking): a Highlander in a kilt. It’s not what you think. If I were to spy the said Highlander in a kilt, it would mean one thing: I’d be riding LuLu along a coastal trail through an idyllic village in Scotland. That’s what I’m talking about…

Pedal on, friends…

deb