I was traveling for work last week; left on Sunday, arrived home late on Thursday. I was craving a bike ride. Yesterday was spent catching up on email, work obligations, laundry, blah blah blah…all those things that happen when you’re not around to tend to them in a timely manner.
I sent my last email about 11:30 last night and realized my house was warm. Way too warm. A quick check of the thermometer and sure ‘nuff, it was already over 80 degrees. Not much to do at that time of night but check the breaker, turn the air conditioner off and on again, and hope for the best.
There is also a fair amount of rationalization going on. “It’s not broken, just can’t keep up with the heat from the outside.” “Turn it on and off again and it will work this time.” Hmmmm. No.
After a rather warm night, that bike ride was still on my mind. I got up early (couldn’t really sleep anyway) and headed out, eager to get back and see the finish of today’s Tour stage. A mountain top finish: my favorite!
After a busy week, the bike felt fantastic. It was also great to take some pictures. I needed to do something creative. Bikes and creativity feed my soul. Go too long without either and I’m in trouble.
About a mile from home, I heard a pop! and then that unmistakable feeling of a riding with a flat tire. Lucky for me, I was near Humboldt Park and a nice shady spot to play mechanic.
The flat? Easy fix. The air conditioner? Well, that’s going to cost a bit more than the price of a new inner tube. But whatever. Just going to roll with it.
Have a few lemons? Go for a ride. Sweetest lemonade there is.
