Life in the bike lane.....

Well, it's day four back in the "real world" and also day four of depending solely on my parents and my own bike to get my butt to and from work. I also received an "impromptu" ride home from a friend when I was straight up stranded.  :) Thank God for friends and family.

I am learning that I actually do enjoy riding my bike. I've spent the whole summer with intentions of riding my bike, but never giving myself enough time (I need forty minutes to get to work, plus a little time to change...), and now I don't have any other choice. The only thing that has bothered me, is my backpack isn't big enough to carry all the things that I think I "need" to bring with me to work AND it gets so heavy that my injured shoulder starts to hurt a little, so I need to work on that. I'm going to go look for some fancy little saddlebags for my road bike today when I get off of work. 

I'm also learning, that while riding your bike, not only do you need to be cautious of vehicles, but also other bikers who aren't paying attention. I was nearly taken out by someone who went from the sidewalk to the bike lane, without even looking. She knew I was behind her, and catching up, because she cut me off when she turned onto the street and then pedaled like hell until she got to the sidewalk. From the sidewalk, she crossed intersections without looking for cars and I witnessed her almost get hit by one. She decided to jump from the sidewalk to the bike lane when she encountered a pedestrian. YEP, didn't even look in my direction. Really? Oh well, I'm sure I scared the shit out of her when, not even a second after she nearly knocked me off the road (if I hadn't been paying attention), I passed her. That's right. I'm not the type to get road rage and give her a piece of my mind, although, CLEARLY someone needs to. I'm just hoping it surprised her enough to maybe think to look next time. Just because you are wearing a helmet doesn't necessarily mean you are safe.  

So besides feeling like I'm back in high school, I don't mind the bike riding. Catching the occasional ride from my parents, or my neighbors (that sounds more mature) isn't all that bad either. My dad has this great idea to buy this old Ambulance from a friend for $500 and letting me drive that around. AWESOME. Let's add insult to injury. Can you imagine? I would be mortified. He does have plans to convert the ambulance into a delivery van for our store, with one of those advertising wraps. I would gladly drive that, but the ambulance just sound embarrassing. Then again, it would be a constant reminder. This is what should happen when you do something stupid, you should have to be called out on it again and again. I do deserve to be recognized for acting like a moron. I get it. All I can do now is laugh about it, and hurdle these obstacles, then move on, right?

I finally had the pleasure to talk to the man who called 911 the night of my accident, Ted. He was up there because him and his girlfriend (wife?) had been driving on a nearby road, trying to see if they could see the fire in Bonner. Wow, I've never been so grateful for a forrest fire. If he hadn't driven by, I honestly do not know how long it would have been before someone else drove by. Talking to Ted sort of gave me some closure. I think he was as happy to talk to me as I was him and I have a feeling that wont be the last time I speak to him. I'm grateful for all the good things that have come into my life, especially since the car wreck. More good then bad has come from it. I have woken up every day so excited for life, just happy to be here. I now have the perfect excuse to ride my bike (at least until the snow falls) and all the other things that I use to stress over, just don't seem to matter that much any more. I know it will all work it's way out over time, I just need to be patient. I'm learning allot about patience these days.

Next week I start my ACT class AND I have my 24 hour stay in "jail". I'm sure I will have a story to tell when I get done with that..... Stay tuned to hear about my nearest obstacle......