My Christmas cheer

There were a lot of things that contributed to my holiday cheer this season.  Of course there’s Sherry, my lovely and supportive wife, who brings me year round happiness.  I took a couple of days off from work to make a 5-day weekend.  That always cheers me up.  Over the last couple of days, I have had lunch and coffee with numerous friends.  And finally, I am starting to feel like myself on the bike again.

If you read the last blog, then you already know I am getting over a sinus infection that kicked my butt.  The weekend before Christmas was the first time I went riding in almost three weeks.  They were both slow, tiring rides but I made it.  Now I just need to focus on regaining my strength.

The plan was to ride a lot over the last 5 days although I also needed to ride smart and not over do it.  My original plan was to ride Wednesday and Thursday, take Christmas off, and then ride both days of the weekend.  And although it didn’t quite work out that way, I have ridden 3 of the last 4 days and I am happy to say the body is starting to come around.  I am also heading out this morning.

Wednesday started out very cold but developed into a beautiful winter day.  So after lunch with friends, I went out for a short 30 mile ride.  Since I am not myself just yet I am still keeping things short.  I was joined by Kelli, one of the many cool people I have met this year.  We basically just rolled along chatting about the holidays and keeping things at a nice even tempo.  It was on this ride that I could feel my strength returning.

Thursday came and went without a ride.  It was 28 when I woke up so I decided to ride later in the day.  But, Sherry had the day off, so we ran errands to get ready for the big day and long story short – the ride didn’t happen.  No worries, I still have the weekend coming up even if there is the threat of rain.

Christmas Day was another cold, bright, beautiful day.  Sherry and I don’t have children, which means we get to sleep in.  We spent the morning meeting friends for coffee, having french toast for breakfast and relaxing.  Finally, around noon, I couldn’t take it anymore, so while Sherry started to watch a movie, I got ready to head out on the bike.

Riding alone on Christmas Day was great.  It was gorgeous, there wasn’t any traffic, and I had plenty of time to reflect on the day and my life.  At some point in the past, Santa gave me the perfect life for Christmas and I haven’t asked for anything else since.  This was very apparent to me as I rode along.  The ride itself was fine and I was feeling stronger.  Still, the real joy in the ride was simply remembering how lucky I am.

One of the things I am grateful for is cycling.  There’s more to it then just riding a bike.  First of all, it is my primary way of maintaining my health and fitness.  Cycling has led to some great adventures, like the 7-day trip to Colorado.  More importantly, it has allowed me to meet some great people and develop some strong friendships that will surely last for years to come.

That brings me back to my Christmas cheer.  When you have a wife like Sherry, the health to cycle for hours on end, and a great circle of friends, how could you not be happy.  The trick is to be thankful for these things every minute of every day. 

I truly hope that everyone finds their own holiday cheer each and every day of the year.

Ciao!