I decided to break the silence. Sometimes situations happen to us that aren't funny but deep down we know that they will bring a smile or laugh to someone else and are therefore totally worth sharing.
There has been a lot of water to pass over the dam since I wrote last. Mike and I purchased a new house, sold our old house, have been working to close out the house in South Mills... I'm beginning to feel a bit like a slum lord. We have officially moved in to the new house and are in the process of settling in. Mike is gone a lot with his work responsibilities so it hasn't been as smooth of a transition as I had hoped for. I haven't worked to hide my emotions regarding this particularly odd season of our lives. To quote Dickens (roughly), "It was the best of times, and it was the worst of times." I feel stretched, tested, and drained yet I have learned so much about mercy and grace in the past 8 months.
Today has been no exception to the test. I started taking a strength and conditioning class early mornings on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. It. Is. Tough. I woke up this morning tired and sore from Monday. I did not want to go do mountain climbers, power lifts, squats, burpees, planks, and run laps for a hour at 6am. I rolled out of bed knowing I'd feel great once I finished and if I could push through today then I could do it any day. Cranked Red (my equinox) up and the engine service light pops on. I was supposed to go to lunch and attend a tour in Winston Salem starting at 12pm...Hello Monday? Is that you disguising yourself as Wednesday? I called my friend to tell him I couldn't make it to the tour but would catch up with the group later in the afternoon. Coming back from the gym I called our local service station and scheduled a service appointment. It would be after lunch... great. Mike's out of town, I have no friends near by....let's waste time sitting around in a waiting area for who knows how long. I decided I needed a cup of coffee and a scheming session.
Scheming sessions are dangerous, especially when I'm tired and lack focus. I don't weigh out all the possible scenarios that could happen. I decided I would swing by the house, grab my road bike, drop my vehicle off, ride my bike back home and work on phone calls and such, and then bike back when it was time to pick up the equinox. It's not even 2 miles from my house to the service station. I congratulated myself on a quick, doable solution that would allow me to kill several birds with one stone. I set out to load my bike and get to the mechanic.
After getting everything settled with the mechanic I pulled my bike out and started on the road. I'm not very graceful on the bike but even clumsy me noticed I couldn't control the bike very well. I hopped off and looked at the wheels. Secure...brakes were fine... and then it slammed me in the face. I'm out on a busy road and my back tire is basically flat. The lack of control was the rim of the wheel bumping and sliding on pavement. No turning back now. I contemplated pushing my bike the remaining miles back to the house but decided to just take it slow and easy. Halfway back to the house my overly dramatic brain imagined hearing the rubber splitting and tearing on the pavement. I started thinking of who I could call to come help me, reached into my clutch and realized I had left my phone either at the house or at the service station. Should I try to ride back to Pete's? Should I keep going? Should I just toss my bike in the ditch and take a walk of shame? At this point I couldn't help but laugh.
I decided to keep going and take the chance my phone was at the house. Members of our local running club stared at me as they passed me (keep in mind they were on foot and me on the bike). I waved. That was probably a good mental boost on a muggy day like today. Here at the house I found my cellphone, but I did not find the bike pump. So here I sit thinking maybe I should go ahead and start walking back so I can get there by the time my car is finished. :)
My little sitch today wasn't really dangerous or too stressful. More or less just inconvenient. God is putting grease on a squeaky wheel in my heart. Pressed but not crushed so ultimately I'm grateful. Some days I have to be more intentional about it than others. :)
