SEARCHING FOR JOY. THIS IS A START.

Joy on my bike rides has been eluding me. Today would be a beginning of change for that, I hoped. As I was gearing up for my ride, Susan gave me an assignment: find at least three things that make you grateful for riding today. Task in hand, I saddled up under a cloud covered sky with some chilly air to greet me on my start.

1. Right from my driveway I heard 3 or 4 different bird sounds. I cannot say ‘bird songs’ as that is not what was coming to my ears. There were twitters, tweets and caws that accompanied me through my neighborhood.

I appreciate the bird sounds that I seem to hear, or be aware of only when riding my bike. I don’t sit outside and listen for birds, though they must be there; I do not take long walks among bird sounds; one cannot hear the birds when riding in a car.

2. Saturday is normally a light traffic day for enjoying a good bike ride. This one was especially good as it was a holiday — 4th of July — when most people will be gone for celebrations or family gatherings.

Of late, automobile traffic has had me spooked, and today I felt like I had the entire town to myself! There were a FEW cars, but those were most polite and patient, with none seeming in a hurry.

3. The wind on my skin. It was a bit cool this morning but still, as always, I liked feeling the wind on my face, hands, knees — the only parts of me not covered.

Even when the temps are high to hot, on a bike ride you create your own breeze which cools you quite nicely. Also the feel of the wind makes me feel like I am ‘free’ in the outdoors.

4. Hearing the sound of my bike tires whirring over the road will normally bring me some joy.

With that fine wind passing by my ears, I did not hear the sound today, but I could feel my tires rolling along on the road surface. I love both of those things — hearing or feeling my tires whirring along.

5. I enjoy it when people walking by, smile, nod or wave at me

I cannot think of other times when people do this. Not usually when I am walking (but I seldom take walks), surely not when I am riding in a car. My observation over the long term has been that men are usually the ones who will more likely acknowledge me with a nod or a wave. Women seem less likely to do so.

6. You never know what you might find or see around the next bend or down the road a piece.

My routes from home, today’s included, are ones I repeat over and over and over. But there are times I either see something new or different, or notice something I had not before seen. I had two of those things happen on my ride today.

I was passing by this somewhat old pickup truck pulled into a driveway, with its hood up and some tools laid out on the ground next to it. As I turned my head slightly further, there was who must be the worker mechanic, lying face up on the grass, feet crossed at the ankles, one hand behind his head, looking up at the sky and leisurely smoking a cigarette. I wished I could have taken a photo.

The second thing I noticed was a picnic table as an option for my next teaneurring challenge. I am always on the lookout for places for that challenge. This may not be the greatest place for a tea stop, but not bad, and it is placed right along my route.

Being a ride with more contemplation and thought, this was the only photo I took for today’s outing.

As I completed my ride and was pulling into our driveway, the sun was starting to peek out from behind those clouds. I was feeling good, and grateful that I initially had Susan’s challenge. It would actually remind me to be most thoughtful of all the things that biking brings me, and the joy that awaits to return to me. I may not yet be feeling actual joy, but for the first time since my crash, and Maridee’s fatal bike accident (she was riding along with me on my shoulder again today, and I had conversation with her), I was not hoping to be done with my ride sooner than usual. Today I was back to adding extra loops and a couple more miles to my route. I have not done that for the past month.

Maybe it was the minimal traffic that today gave me, maybe because I had a good day’s rest off the bike yesterday, maybe having a couple of nights of quite good sleep, maybe it has been my slow re-entry into to riding again, but today just felt good.

Joy must be just around the corner.