I am thankful. It is not the kind of thankfulness that we try to embed into our daily lives after we read some self help book or article, the kind that is more grounded in logic (I know I ought to be grateful for…) rather than unbridled passion (Wow! This is incredible, I am soooo lucky!) Nope, I am filled with the kind of gratitude one sings about in the lyrics of the 2 Comments Some guy rolled down his car window and yelled at me the other day as I was cycling home, listening to my iPod... “Get a helmet!”, he shouted angrily, before speeding away in his gas-guzzler. I would have yelled back, “Get an education!”, but I was too busy focussing on  Not sure what I am more taken with, the giant, golden moon I observed hanging over the city on my bike ride home from work tonight, or the "stars", a million twinkling lights, I saw from the left seat of a Cessna 150, as we glided overhead the city the other night on my first flight in months... Life is Good.  Keeping my promise to ride through the winter this year (my first year of biking to work twice a week) hasn’t been hard. Of course, the impressiveness of this all-season feat is considerably diminished by the fact that we’ve had very little snow in Toronto this winter. Beating the cold is not a challenge; surviving snow covered roads, on the other hand, can be. But tonight I finally I finally got to try out the treachery of winter riding. Luckily, I had my cycling expert girlfriend with me; she had ridden through ice and snow to bring me dinner at school, where I was staying late to rearrange my classroom – long story, separate blog post once time permits – and accompany me home. After a briefing ("go slow, don’t lean into turns, get off saddle and put one foot near ground in case of instability, ride straight, no braking…."), we set out. Rather than my usual fast fare, I opted for Vivaldi’s Quattro Stagioni in my headphones to guide my slower pace and carry me through the slushy ride home. It was definitely slower, but not as treacherous as I had anticipated. I heeded my girlfriend’s wise advice, and made all the right accommodations, resulting in only one near slip, and no falls at all! Yay! Soon, we were turning into a familiar driveway and stopping for a quick photo in the parking lot out back of our building. My first ride in the snow. I have heard that many of our society’s great “inventions” were discovered accidentally. For example, corn flakes, now a staple breakfast cereal in many North American households, came about by accident. (For more on that story, check out this page.) This morning, I had such a happy accident. My insulated lunch bag, which I had hitherto used to keep my freshly cooked Unexpectedly, the highlight of my day was the short ride from one school to another at lunch time today. I had taken my bike to work, and our morning was spent at a nearby school, learning with colleagues there. It happened that two of my fellow teachers from my home school had also ridden that morning, and we three rode back together, enjoying the fall colours and the shadows dancing on the midday pavement as we sailed down the road in tandem. It happened quite by accident, my revised listening habit on bike. Until recently, I had been listening to an album by Toots and the Maytals. I was usually able to make it to school by the end of the playlist. If I wasn't on the bridge over the Last night was my first actual commute home in the rain by bike. As of September, I have been riding to work twice a week, and I wondered how it would be as the weather got cooler and wetter. I was not worried about my gear, as I  Thanks to an "anonymous elderly patron", as he likes me to refer to him, I recently became the proud owner of a snazzy new bike. And thanks to that patron's dear friend, who has become an integral part of our own family, I also became the proud owner of some waterproof panniers (the bags that attach to the rack on the back of a bike) and waterproof pants. Although I have been riding to work (roughly 12 km) about twice a week since I got my new bike, today was the first time I really used those pants, and wow, are they ever GOOD!!! I met a friend for lunch after church, and as my husband and kids were heading out of town for the afternoon, I took my bike, even though it was pouring rain. My amazing bike took me from church to lunch in 7 minutes, through puddles and slipperly streets, without incident, and my pants kept me warm and dry. Amazing! And when I arrived at the restaurant and tied my trusty steed to the nearest pole and removed my bag from the rack, I was pleased to discover the contents bone dry. I can hardly believe it: It would appear that I am turning from a person who rides a bike (as my girlfriend likes to refer to occasional riders) into a serious, hard-core cyclist!!! | Vera's Blog...Vera writes for several teacher and multiple birth publications, including ETFO's Voice Magazine, Multiple Moments, and the Bulletwin. She also keeps a number of blogs, including BiB, "Learn to Fly with Vera!" and, more recently, SMARTbansho!  ArchivesMay 2012 CategoriesAll  My Wikis |
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