Logan Square
I wake early on Saturday. Instinctively I look toward the bottom of the bed for my dog – but he’s no longer there.
Fully awake now, I head downstairs to pour coffee that has been timed to brew and is waiting for me. The aroma of freshly brewed beans fills my senses as I enter the kitchen.
I stand looking out the window at the falling snow. Those first sips of coffee warm my tongue and heat the fingers that wrap around my favorite orange cup. It’s still dark, but a fresh blanket of snow illuminates the neighborhood and muffles the usual city sounds.
I take my coffee back upstairs and start to read the news to see what had happened since I closed my eyes the night before. But I’m distracted.
I get up and look out the window again. That fresh, beautiful snow is calling me. I pull on heavy tights, a couple wool base layers, and jacket, and run downstairs.
After clipping lights on my bars, I pedal away from my front door into the quiet of the pre-dawn morning. The only sound I hear is the crunch of my tires on soft white powder.
I don’t go particularly far this day. Instead, I wander up and down the streets of my neighborhood, forging a fresh track down the middle of the street. It is an amazing morning to be out.
I stop at the Logan Square monument to take a photo, and as I pedal away the snowflakes triple in size and float around me. They land on my nose and my cheeks, creating prisms on my glasses as they melt.
I head toward home.
Once there, I sit inside on my bench and watch as the snow begins to melt and form puddles under the tires. And I feel both happy and sad at the same time.
Sometimes a ride is much more than just a ride.
– Suzanne
I lost my once deep enjoyment of Winters ability to entrance me in deep thought. Spring, Summer, Fall, continued to provide me with the experience your wonderful words describe. And now, as I contemplate the rebirth of my love for winter, I have been encouraged by the experience you describe in this post. Thank you for sharing, and allowing me to look into a world that I miss, and letting me know I am not alone. Riding in snow doesn’t make us a couple of flakes.
haha, no we’re not flakes at all. thanks for the laugh
My wife Pamela and I are heading to Michigan for our anniversiry soon, loved the feel of this blog as we head to the great white north.
Hope you had a great time, and didn’t encounter too much snow/cold.
It was cold and snowy and BEAUTIFUL. For us, living in Texas it was exactly what we were hoping for (in a small dose).
Very happy you’re along for the journey 🙂
Yes it is.
Wish I had time to reply with more depth Suzanne, but please know you are not alone here-
Thanks Daniel
You really nailed it … Really !! This year I have found myself thinking about my rides in different ways that I did before and that in itself has a way of transforming them into more than just a ride. However, there have bee some rides that were “more that just a ride” while actually doing. I’m not always able to articulate it but when you’re riding and sense just something special (sometime big, sometimes little) is just happening AND I am really recognizing it while in the moment… that really makes it “more than just a ride”. Thanks for your very articulate way to bring us all into those special moments. Well done Suzanne, well done.
thanks. I really appreciate your taking time to read and respond.