The weather cleared this afternoon and caught me off guard. It was supposed to rain. It was going to be windy and cold. On top of that, I am on-call. I had planned this to be an entire ‘honeydew’ weekend (”Honey, do this…”) but I worked like mad yesterday and completed everything on my list and even knocked off two of the big items on Maria’s list. I even had a book ready.

I debated if I should I go… It was after three. I’ll probably get back after dark. Brooklyn is really inconvenient since getting to any good roads means crossing Manhattan. If my luck runs out I’ll be stuck in traffic on the way out or suffer two hours of it on the way back. On the bright side, I did park and cover the bike so I wouldn’t have to negotiate having my landlord move their minivan. I did leave my half a tank of gas and I charged the battery. That’s a plus but I find it hard to be impulsive when it comes to the bike. I’m cautious. I plan. I check the weather. I plot a route (even if I ignore it). I always check the bike the night before and do a quick check again before riding off. I’m an “All The Gear, All The Time” (ATGATT) sort so I never just pull on a helmet and take off, I lay out my gear. It’s my own little ritual, a superstition- always do this before the ride to ward off drowsy cagers and sandy corners. I haven’t been hurt in eighteen years of riding so it sort of works. And I didn’t do any of that.

But it was beautiful and you just don’t get opportunities like this every day. I could die tomorrow- under a bus, on a train, in a building or any of the other ways that catch you unaware- I thought. So I grabbed my gear, gave it the once over and pushed the bike to the street. I did my checks, and needed air in the front tire, and in thirty minutes I was headed out.

I’m glad I did.

It doesn’t really matter where I rode, what I saw, how it felt, what I smelled, what I thought, how far or how fast I went. I took a short ride today.

And like every one I’ve taken since I was eighteen it was the best one I’ve ever had.