Me? I bought a bicycle.
Let me back up a moment. I've been considering it for a while, at least a couple years. I looked in stores. I looked at used bikes on-line. I could never pull the trigger. A big box sporting goods chain would have had a sale if it had attentive employees.
I started to add it up. I'm tired all the time. A recent kitchen remodeling project meant reliance on far too much fast food. I need the exercise. I talked it over with friends and co-workers. They all suggested I get over my fears and buy a bike.
I stopped in a bike shop on a recent afternoon. I told the salesman I didn't want to go hard core. I just want something to pedal around the neighborhood for fifteen minutes in the morning. He suggested a model. I gave it a look and got some instructions.
It was a little more than I wanted to pay, but I remembered the words of Larry King: "Always go top shelf. You'll pay more in the beginning, but it's worth it in the long run."
Done.
On the way home, I stopped for a burger and fries. Big mistake. More later. You can guess where the story is going.
I arrived home, took the bike out of the back of my SUV, adjusted the seat, and went for a ride.
Too much, too soon. I flew out of the driveway and through the neighborhood like Lance Armstrong. I attempted far more than I should have in the afternoon sun, heat, and humidity. I hadn't been on a bike since I learned to drive a car, and that was a very, very long time ago. I'm not a kid any more.
My head was in the toilet soon after arriving home from the bike ride. I lost my lunch.
The next trip, the next day, was much better. Each subsequent trip has been a little smoother, and a lot more fun.
Wish me luck in the second half of my life.
I should have bought the Corvette.
