Going Uphill Behind a Garbage Truck
I love bike riding! It’s been 5 years, but I’m back on my bike again. It feels great! I’ve needed to take two breaks from bike riding in my life. The first time was after I went over my handlebars headfirst. I was out in front, my husband said something to me from behind, and as I turned my head, my arms followed…throwing off my balance. When I turned back, all I remember was face planting in a pile of dirt. Sure, I was a little banged up, but not too bad, right? Wrong! About a week later I developed a torn retina. That was scary! But after laser surgery I was/am as good as new.
The second time was in 2017 after I retired from Nursing. My friend Diana and I started biking together. Our very first ride was 30+ miles. Yes, you read that correctly. We thought we would just ride out to a lake near our town. The sign said 9 miles, we felt great, decided we would take our time and go for it. Besides the fact that 9 miles out also means 9 miles back (on top of the 5-7 miles we had already gone) we got lost. That night my legs were in so much pain. I pounded the water, covered them both with Salonpas patches and went to sleep. I honestly don’t know how I didn’t develop rhabdomyolysis (rhabdo) and die. Truly, it is by the grace of God that my kidney’s didn’t fail in the night (look it up!)
But even that wasn’t enough to stop me from riding Ida (that’s what I named my bike, as in, “Ida rather be riding my bike.”) We rode all summer long. I mean, we rode a lot. Plus, I rode with best friend, Stacy and my husband. I rode everywhere….until I couldn’t anymore. All that riding injured my tailbone, threw off my left SI joint and caused some pelvic floor problems (I will NOT be going into detail on THAT therapy). Suffice it to say I needed about 7 months of physical therapy.
Why, you might ask, would I even consider getting back on Ida. Well, one reason is I LOVE riding my bike. I feel like a kid when I ride. But the bigger reason is that I’m frugal. Gas prices are rising and if I can ride my bike instead of using fuel, I’m all about it. I ride to the Farmers’ Market in the town next to mine on Saturday mornings with Stacy. I ride up to a local grocery store to pick up a few things as needed. The bank, the Library, the Post Office AND my office are all within a reasonable biking distance. And need I mention that it’s a great form of exercise?
One beautiful Spring morning in May, I was riding over to my office. I had to go up hill a bit, which I normally don’t mind. But on this day (garbage day) a garbage truck was in front of me. As I was struggling to catch my breath, I was also struggling not to gag. But you know what? I smiled through the whole thing. Why? Because that’s just the way life is. It’s not always springtime flowers you smell. Sometimes things just stink. But soon enough the garbage truck takes a turn, the road is flat again, the air is pure and I’m still grateful to be on my bike.
Do you have something in your life today that’s making you “gag” a bit?
Something that is hard to face. A difficult relationship. A job you hate.
Feel like you’re always going uphill?
Having a hard time catching your breath?
Struggling with something big?
Weight gain. High stress. Poor sleep.
Can I ask you one more question?
How long are you going to put up with this garbage?
Don’t put this off anymore!
Until next time!
Renee