Damn Happy To Be Alive

I'm probably going to swear a bit in this post. My day started off really well. Nice walk with Bella, good coffee and breakfast (yogurt and granola w/ some fruit), quick post (rather long), did some odds and ends around the house, and off to the the health club for a workout.
Hopped on the single speed looking forward to going up to the club and ripping my quad muscles on a foam roller. My brother-in-law said they are way too tight and need to be loosened up. This may be causing my knee problem. I have to tell you now that this was one of the most painful things I have endured to date. I was in "f"ing tears and grimacing through the entire thing. I was, for a moment almost wishing that car had hit me. Yup, that's right.

It felt good to be relying on my bike and not the car for some practical transportation. After all what does it say about our society when we drive a vehicle to the health club for a workout? I think Bill Nye The Science Guy said that. What really makes me laugh however are those people that need to find that spot closest to the door. I'm going to workout, but damn if I'm going to walk all the way across the parking lot. WTF is up with that. I park close, but I'm usually there at 4:30 A.M. during the school year. Anyway, I digressed a bit there.

As I'm riding up to make the turn into the club I signal and move into the left turn lane. No Problem, right? As I'm pulling into the left turn lane another vehicle coming from the opposite direction is slowing down to make a right turn into the club. However, there was some impatient bastard in a car behind them. This asshole abruptly turns out to pass, rather than wait for the other vehicle to turn, hits the "f"ing gas and doesn't even see me. She is now coming straight at me (in a fucking lane she has no business being in) I'm thinking this is how my life is going to end, and at the last possible second veers right into the driving lane as she goes flying be me. I would say two feet, maybe. In the mean time I'm wetting my pants and looking like the proverbial deer in the headlights. The other driver was in just as much shock as I was. She asked if I was OK, and I have to admit it took me a while to get an answer out. Now she was swearing in disbelief that the lady in the other car did what she did.

This asshole had a teenage girl with her (daughter?) and my hope is that she wasn't giving driving lessons. If that's the case we'll have another killer out there. How many lives do cyclists have? I only ask because I fear that I may be running low.

So now here I am back home. I may just say screw the painting for this afternoon and sit in the sun out on the deck and read. After all, I am alive. I deserve to enjoy it.

Have a good time, make life cheerful and bright, dance if you want to, sing if you can, play as long as you live and leave the world with a smile. -Lemuel K. Washburn