New Wheel / Up On Fear Rock

The back tire of my bike blew out. I brought it in for repairs. A brusque, butch woman broke the bad news. The whole wheel needed to be replaced. My one request was a C.S.I., or crime scene investigation. The bike lady did not think the wack wheel got wacked; she saw no sign of foul play. This was a relief. I thought maybe my bike was kicked. Not that I have enemies, per se, but maybe, just maybe, I annoyed someone enough to kick my bike. I can think of only about 100 people who I have recently annoyed. My worries were for naught. It was a natural break down, an erosion of sorts. It was all very natural.

The breakdown of the wheel threw off my longstanding confidence in the single speed. I still loved my bike, but the natural deterioration of the wheel caused me to worry about the bike’s integrity. So I called the repair lady over to the side, and in a hushed tone (so the bike couldn’t hear) I asked a very serious question… “Is my bike a nice bike?” She said that it was, well, it wasn’t horrible, that it probably cost $300. new, and that it was a low-end single speed. I like my bike; it suits me just fine. The new wheel is a serious piece of equipment. It may outshine the rest of the bike. I am a new man with a new wheel on a low-end cycle.

Jess and I went for another Tuesday hike today. I had a very bad Monday, a very unpleasant Monday, a Monday with too much shouting, with anger and sadness and frustration. I woke up this morning and it was a new morning and I felt better. Jess had a bad day today. I had a climbing day today. I climbed up the rocky sides of the Blue Hills, on the blue blaze trail, and got above the tree line. The city was off in the distance, and the leaves were still green but the change was in the air. The clouds above the city were stained grey on the edges.

I tried to climb atop a rock that was a whale’s head. It required a leap of faith, and I backed down.