Odessa

When Allen asked what I wanted for my birthday, I was stumped. I honestly couldn't think of anything. He decided to get me a bike, since I was the only family member without one. I was shocked at how expensive bikes are, so I got the cheapest non-geared bike I could find. (He didn't want me to go to my usual haunts to find a used one. Buying a used one usually costs more than a new one once you get it in working order, we heard. I'm not sure, but that's beside the point.)

I do love Odessa. I named her that after realizing that we should have named the Odyssey Odessa instead of Olivia. The kids chose Olivia, so that's okay. I loved the name Odessa, though, so I named my bike that. (The odd act of naming inanimate objects will have to be a later blog post.)

Allen took the kids fishing on Sunday (that's definitely a whole other blog post) at the park on Sunday, and he loaded up my bike for me for it's inaugural ride. It was weird riding a bike again. I didn't forget how to ride one, so the old saying is true. I did have to remember some of the finer points of riding a bike, though. For instance, you have to look more immediately where you are riding instead of far out like when you're driving. Hitting a few potholes taught me that right off the bat. And it's hard to let go to scratch your nose-the bike will get very wobbly if you ride with one hand on a trail. Then suddenly since I couldn't scratch my nose, I needed to constantly.

I rode up to this little cemetery and looked around for awhile too. I love doing that, although it's probably morbid to admit. I love reading the headstones-the names and dates. Wondering why the young ones died; praying for their families. I like to ponder death sometimes. It keeps things real and in perspective.

Good grief. From bikes to death? Sorry about that.

It was fun to ride. It was nice to go really fast and feel the wind whip around me. Not the same as a motorcycle, but good anyway. I'm not sure I did the right thing by not getting a geared bike, but I just couldn't justify the cost before knowing if this was something I'd really do much or not. I think mountain biking would be awesome. For now, I think Odessa and I will stick to the street, though. I do love her. I like feeling like a kid again!