Until recently, there was a TV show called Friday Light Nights. I never watched it (I watch little to no TV) but the title is apropos of tonight, at least for me.
I was the last one--well, the last cyclist, anyway--to leave the college tonight.
After getting something like a real night's sleep last night, the ride today felt really good. It was a few degrees cooler than it was yesterday, so the ride in was brisk, as was the ride home. I was almost underdressed for the latter: At times, I wish I'd worn a light jacket over my sweater and blouse. I did, however, wear pantyhose under my skirt, which felt right--at least temperature-wise.
Today was the last day before Spring Recess. At least it was for my classes: Tomorrow, Saturday classes have their last meeting before getting a week of for the holidays. The students in today's class are normally an interesting and stimulating group; today, they didn't seem as eager to leave as I would expect students to be the day before a recess. I showed them the filmed version of Shakespeare's Othello in which Lawrence Fishburne plays the title role. Othello is one of my three favorite Shakespeare plays (The Tempest and Macbeth are the others) , and I'd say it's probably the one which I've had the most success teaching.
Now, you may ask, what do teaching Othello and cycling to and from work have to do with each other? Well, I think that, if nothing else, my experience today led me to a circle of questions: Do my rides feel good because I feel good? Or is it the other way around? And was the confidence I felt on my bike and in my class a result of both going well? Or did things go well because I was feeling confident and happy?
And when is my enjoyment of cycling enhanced by my enjoyment of other things? Or does my enjoyment of other things enhance my enjoyment of cycling?
I guess that's a bit like asking whether cycling leads us to follow the moon or following the moon leads us to cycle.
