I'm Back

I'm back! For now.

The Worksman, finally back in order on a Summer-like Autumn Tuesday

I wrote a little over a month ago that I needed a bit of a hiatus, mostly to get some things in order in my life. Let's just say, I've had mixed results. I also didn't have internet for the last half of October, but that's another story.

I found a place to live. I moved successfully (with the help of friends, family, and roommates, of course). I also crashed my bike a week before and busted up my face a bit and am still recovering from the effects. One day soon (as in, after my teeth are put back together), I will write a retrospective, if for no other reason than to thank everyone who helped me get my smile back. But, as there is still work to be done, that will wait...

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I returned to Wash Cycle on Monday for the first time in over a week. Thankfully, my first day back was rather uneventful and laid back. There were plenty of well wishes, such as "I'm glad you're OK," "I feel you, man..." and "Wow. You recovered pretty fast." My trike that had been injured in a crash several months ago was also fixed while I was out (see above), so that was a nice bonus too. Anywho...

Tuesday, I was on my way to deliver Outward Bound when the trike got stuck in a roadside ditch (again, you can see above, but that was taken after the fact). I'm sure I would have gotten it un-stuck myself, but there was a gentleman sitting nearby on a picnic table who came over to help. Goes to show ya, there are a lot of good people out there.

Wednesday, I made my first visit back to the office. Again, many more well wishes and one person even commented "I can't believe you were willing to get right back on the bike." Well I mean, what did you expect me to do? Haha...

But seriously, looking at it from an outsider's perspective, I can understand why you might think I would be gun shy. In fact, I haven't ridden my personal bike since my crash, so I actually AM a little hesitant. While on the job, not so much. There's something so inherently neat about what I do that I sorely missed in my time off. I guess when your house is full of boxes, you're bound to go a little crazy regardless, but nevertheless, I also missed being out on the bike.

Why? Because of the stories above and the day I've had so far today. A friend once said to me, "You're really connected to your environment as a cyclist. You can't tune it out like you do when you drive a car." She's right. And I love that.

I love to ride through the neighborhoods, a cool, misty breeze on my face, saying "Hi" to passersby, listening to the chorus of 50 school children as a school bus passes, sharing a 10-second exchange with the PWD, and of course, responding to strange questions from onlookers like "You delivering beer in that thing?" Just an average Thursday...

Cycling has become a part of who I am, much like this blog, and it's good to be back to both. Happy Thursday.