Today is Independence Day—the Fourth of Joo-lie—in the US.
I had planned to start the day by riding with “Sam,” my neighbor and sometime riding buddy. He now has a much nicer bike—which I helped him find and customize—than he rode last year. But he has to cancel: a family member called and needed help with something. He and his girlfriend still plan on getting together with me for dinner and a celebration—of our friendship and the holiday.
Since it also happens to be my birthday (No, I won’t tell you my age. I’ll just say that I’m still in midlife!) I am reflecting on my past, including my brief racing career (if you can call it that). I took myself way too seriously. I guess that’s a consequence of feeling you have to prove yourself at every moment, even if you don’t really know what you’re trying to prove or if it bears little or no relation to reality, or to whom you’re trying to prove it (or if they don’t care).
Now that I can look back at my younger self and say, “It’s OK,” I would love to show up for a race on a bike like this:
just to mess with my younger self and all of those guys (yes, they were male) who took themselves too seriously as I did.
(By the way, today is my birthday. I won’t tell you my age, only that I am still in midlife!)
