Every afternoon or early evening I take a wee bike ride down the coast. Or up the coast, depending on which direction the tide is moving the water between the peninsula and the island. Today we had a bit of wind. Just perfectly lit, like a summer evening should be, and wind in my face.
It's not much of a road. Two cars can pass one another safely, provided they're not gigantic American jobbies. There are no lines, though, and people can and do park on either side of the road, turning it into a single lane.
Just imagine, a 20 minutes bike ride, just for the fun of it, every day.
I got out to the point, my usual turn around spot. The road turns to dirt and gravel about 100 yards before a hill. It's a nice, and small, challenge to go up and down the other side, skidding if I hit the brakes, avoiding potholes. The point held the wind, so I was in the lee for a good while before reaching the turn, and then the wind came blasting into my face again. Glorious, really.
I stood at the point, watching birds looping up and down and back and forth. They unconsciously know just what to do to stay afloat, skim the surface of the waves, land, take off again. Like walking.
For almost five months I was unable to walk without crutches, due to a silly injury. I said I would never take walking for granted again. And I don't. I walk all the time now. But that time sitting gave me a lot to think about. First it was frustrating, then it was terribly sad, and finally I found ways to engage myself and my brain. Now I can sit around, staring into space, and not even notice the time passing. And it's quite enjoyable.
I can walk again, so I've been given the job of house-wife. After dutifully taking care of me and our finances for half a year, my husband is now a good working husband. And I am just taking care of everything else. No, there is no stress in my life. We designed it this way, living cheaply and simply.
Out at the point I stood in the wind remembering what it felt like to be a teenager, just waiting for things to change, waiting to grow up. I've been thinking a lot about how life moves by if I don't remind myself to notice every once in a while. Make decisions, choose what and how and when, stop to notice when things work or when they don't. Treasure and maintain relationships that matter and are good.
But in high school I was anxious, and time moved slowly. We wasted time. Sitting in the wind, feeling what the cold felt like, watching waves and birds and the clouds come across the sky, all the while contemplating the drama of being in love or heartbroken or a heart breaker. And now I can just stand in the wind and breathe. Knowing that the best is right now, was then, is yet to come.
A song that I love (sorry, can't imbed from current machine):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RV-5j4wQsQ&feature=youtube_gdata_player
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