Tonight's post on Girls and Bicycles reminded me that cycling is, above all, a sensual experience. After you've done some miles in the hills, any slice of pizza can seem like the manna from Heaven, and even the most ordinary cup of tea or bottle of beer (not that I've drunk the latter in a long time) can seem like the nectar of the goddesses.
And, in the course of a ride--even a commute or a short "shake off the cobwebs" ride at this time of year--the senses attune to the subtlest nuances of light and the finest variations of clarity and mist in the air.
The photograph you see was taken from a park near the Nassau County line. The ride there was flat yet invigorating. Perhaps that was the reason why I could sense, in every pore and orifice of my body, the play between the light that is opening from dimness to softness and the wind's inspiration turning the weariness of bare limbs stretched against gray skies into calmness that will turn to serenity as the clouds open for glimmerings of reassurance.
It's a wonderful feeling, even if it's momentary. But moments like that make rides and get you through the day, and night. Really, what other reason is there to ride a bicycle?
I really love this post and I'm actually reading it for a second time. The second and last paragraphs say it all for me and are very moving. I'm a Mom who has to fit in my rides in-between school events, basketball practices, full-time job, walking the dog, taking care of an elderly parent, and this weekend I had a sick child with fever on my hands. The bicycle rides do get me through it all. And, those fleeting moments fill my soul until I can get out and do it again.
ReplyDeleteSM: Thank you. Cycling has been one of the few constants in my life, and has helped me through so much! I love your last sentence: cycling matters so much more to me as a way of filling the soul!
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