Friday, August 28, 2009

New Speed Racer

I bought a bike. I sold $100 worth of chotskies at our garage sale and $35 worth of used books then bought a bike for $125. Good trade. And I am pretty sure the bike is exactly what I want.

The day I was going to pick it up a friend of mine warned me that I should make sure to ride it home. "If you put it in the back of a car it stays in the back of a car." Symbolic logic but really true. I suppose with most things you do define your relationship from the get go. If you are going to be committed to living in the ways you want to live the decision is now. Starting tomorrow is always too late.

The bike was only 4.5 miles away and I planned to run that far anyway so why not run towards something I needed to do? It was threatening to rain and I did consider the option of driving. But then I also reminded myself that I was in the Peace Corps and have been wet before.

It didn't rain. Perfect running weather. Good distances for a run. And riding my new bike back was so quick and easy in comparison.

I have been hanging out with my grandparents alot - in a caretaker capacity. It takes a lot of time but today I got to witness my Pawpaw hunting flies in the courtyard for a good 15 minutes. As well as the corresponding dialogue between he and my grandma who was directing through the windows from inside. The urgency on one side of the glass and determination on the other side really made the whole episode so enthralling. And endearing.

Sitting there watching all of it I thought about how being open to experiences gives you these kinds of little treats (or "goodies" as Pawpaw would say), if you are willing to accept them. Spending half a day with your grandparent when you didn't intend to is an ok thing to let happen.

I feel the same way about running to my bike and riding it home when I could have easily picked it up in the car. As far as choosing the type of experience you want. Or being open to allowing an experience to be pleasant. I feel like I learned this in the Peace Corps. Good to know it hasn't all drained out of me.

I might write more about my grandparents ways. There are a million endearing things to tell.