Moment To Live By.

I went biking yesterday with no destination in mind. The plan was to ride until I arrived at a place I knew I was meant to find. Five miles into it, I'm tired, thirsty, and sick of squinting into the setting sun. I take one more bend and find myself staring at a small farmers market just off of Bearss Avenue. I wind down the sidewalk onto the dirt parking lot and see a sign hanging from this huge tree of to the side. The sign proclaims the tree to be 400 years old as estimated by arborists. Sweet. I oogle all the food, pick out three fine looking apples, some grapefruit juice, and some locally made honey. The check out dude puts it in all in a plastic bag and then in a paper bag, which was very helpful for the ride home. I fiddle through my batman bag (on account of all the gadgets) and whip out the cam. I'm thinking that the lighting isnt so great, but thats hardly a reason not to take a picture with a digital camera. The batteries are dead and so for the moment I'm left with only the snapshot in my head.

And now begins the ride home. Its mostly downhill and with the tail wind im moving along at a pretty good clip. The last mile and half however are almost entirely uphill and its a bruiser.
One thing I always find amazing is that at least on a bike, and with the right music, I have always a little bit left.
--------------------
Iim in the final stretch now, enjoying a small road that few cars use on account of the massive speedbumps. I'm tired, sweaty and ready to hop off the bike, lay down in someone's lawn, and chug some juice. But Solsbury Hill by Peter Gabriel decides otherwise as the end of the song kicks into gear with some electric guitar that brings it all home. And I know that what happens in the final five minutes of this ride all comes down to whatever song Random, in all her holiness, decides to play next. Legs burn, throat stings, head hurts, and the green grass is calling. But the moment between songs is ringing in my ears, the moment of fate is heavy on my mind, and the moment to live by arrives as the soul stirring opening notes to Given to Fly by Pearl Jam play against a backround of wind in my ears. Any concept of distance falls away and I'm everywhere at once. Such are the joys and freedoms of a bike on the road.

I need a shower.