ride on

tonight after class i decided to stop at target on the way home and pick up some long-overdue amenities. it just so happened that they did not have one single thing on my list. they did, however, have bathing suits. because january is just the time of year when we're all starting to think about exposing large portions of our skin to the elements.

my nice brother helped me fix up my bike last night. so after months of sitting out back looking pathetic with its flat tire and rusty chain, it's finally ready to ride again. i wish i hadn't believed weather.com when they said it was going to be raining all day long because, as it turns out, it would have been the perfect day for the inaugural ride. i don't really like weather.com. they are always wrong.

but i love my bike. i've had it since i was a freshman in high school--12 years now-- and we've been through a lot together. i've only ever had one other bike in my life that was just mine. after learning to ride on and subsequently outgrowing the same red bike that was each of my brothers' first, i got a shiny new blue and white girl's bike with streamers on the handles and a basket on the front. i actually think i hated it because it was too girly...
then, per family tradition, i was to get a 10-speed for my 10th birthday. which i did, but it turned out to be matt's old and well-loved 10-speed that he got for his 10th birthday almost 5 years earlier (and which he had replaced with a much nicer, brand new 12-speed street bike).

when i got to high school i got my current bike. it is still one of the things i love the most--probably even more now than when i originally got it. it's not the most high tech bike ever created. it's not made of any space-age materials or designer parts. it's not fancy or flashy in any way, but it is sturdy and functional and dependable, not unlike how i think of myself. it's baby bear. just right. and i can't wait to ride.