Wind

 I rode up Elk Mountain Scenic Parkway, wind whipping around me,  leaves plastered on the road, causing me to slip when I stood up, even getting tire squeal each time it slipped and regained traction.  I almost got clipped by a Gold Grand Marquis and my blood was boiling.  

It was good to get out on the road again and enjoy the mountains, but nothing can replace the dirt under my wheels and the smell of the woods without the fear of becoming a hood ornament.  
Since the stage race, I have been battling the funk in my head that comes with life.  The stuff creeps up and all of a sudden it is in my face.  The stuff that I thought I had dealt with and put to rest.  The stuff I have tried to resolve, but when the other party does not want to participate, no resolution can be had.   I was even willing to compromise.  

As I climbed up and over the last ridge, I could see blue sky and feel the sun warming my skin.  I had climbed up and out of the cloudy shroud on one side of the mountain, into the clear sunshine on the other side.   And that is life.  We are either climbing up though the fog or enjoying the sunshine on the other side.  And sometimes its tough.

But either way,  up or down,  I have come to rely on the sometimes regular, sometimes random people in my life.  People who care enough to ask, or without knowing, ask a question,  stepping out, facing their own fears and asking for advice,  dealing with their own stuff. 

It was a good ride and good things came from both sides of the mountain.  You can always find the positives, sometimes it takes longer than others, but it can be done.

Go Ride!