First Ride of Spring!

Last Saturday was my first outside ride of the year.  It was a beautiful spring day and a great day for a bike ride!  I met one of my best friends, Carla and went on a short 15-mile ride on the Issaquah Plateau.  Carla had to race the next day, so we took it easy and in all actuality for a first ride it was probably enough.  This also gave us time to try out a new little restaurant prior to me heading back home to put on my Mom hat again.  This first ride reminded me how much I enjoy bike riding.  There are always a few cars that make you a bit frustrated and hills that remind you just how out of shape you really are.  But on each hill there is always the chance to fly down the other side.  I think life is a lot like a good bike ride.  At times you are frustrated, at times life is super hard, at times you have to work harder, dig deeper because you know that the reward is so worth it.  Riding my bike removes me from the daily grind of life and makes me stop and look at life around me.  As I rode I took notice of the trees, spring flowers blooming and a little lake called Beaver Lake.  I wondered if there actually were beavers at this lake as it now has many houses around it.   This first little ride reminded me why I ride my bicycle.  Sure I do it because it’s good exercise; I do it for a cause like the Oblideride.  I ride because nothing else matters when you are riding a bike.  I can leave all life’s “stuff” for a while and just enjoy being me! Not Mom, not wife, not coach, not PTA lady, art docent lady, program manager, dog walker, maid, cook, Sunday school teacher…the list goes on.  I am just a girl on a bike! 

Found this poem – not sure who the author is…

Life is like riding a bike.
First you need the extra wheels to support you.
You learn how to ride on your own.
It might feel good at first
Until you go too fast
And fall right on your face.
That is when you will realize
How those extra wheels have been so important to you
And how they have supported you through.
You will ride many streets and trails.
Some are straight and and smooth.
Some are bumpy and narrow.
Some will have obstacles.
But when you reach up to the top of the mountain,
You see the view- such a wonderful view.
Of what your life has been.
Through hard challenges and trials of your life,
You will only know the true meaning
When you cast your eyes upon the view of your life,
And see how far you have ridden.