I had a serious wreck with a car in December. It's time to get over it. It's time to get over the cold. I enjoy bicycling - do it! The other night I went out for a short brisk ride around the neighborhood on my recently purchased mountain bike. I have a steep (50% grade?) hill nearby that I could test the granny gears on. I put on a few warm clothes in the middle of the night, hoisted the bike out of the basement and took off. I had to just do it, if I thought about it too long the air would be out of my brains tires. I wanted to enjoy the wind and pedal furiously and take the steep descent and...

The previously rusted chain performed admirably. Shifters were stiff and took some getting used to. As I dropped down the steep incline I started thinking about the snow on the embankment/precipice I just steered into. Where there's snow, there's ice I thought suddenly. I started to apply brakes and prepare to crashland. I maintained speed, kept my butt off the saddle for flexibility. It went very smoothly. There was no sliding, no drop in my stomach, no wild swerving. I just felt the clean, clear, chilly air whistling by and the dark night watching from above.

I finagled the gears into a low position and scooted up the other side of the hill in triumph. It was a triumph of enjoyment of the moment, a triumph of willpower to get out and enjoy, a triumph over laziness.

I returned home in the dark night just a little healthier, a little saner and with increased motivation to keep doing it.