Yikes, almost half the year is gone!

Seems like I'm always going on about how quickly time goes by and how badly I am at optimizing my use of it. I guess we're all a little guilty at wasting time, but I believe myself to be a specialist. My husband would say (bless his big heart) that I'm too hard on myself, as he always says. But I've told you before that I'm the queen of procrastination and I'm telling you now, I'm a the real thing, a pro.

The first half of 2010 was not stellar, I can tell you that. Avoiding this, putting off that. However I DID do something that I have not done for 29 years.

Get on a bike (and ride it).

When I was around 6 years old our tenants upstairs gave me their son's bike that he had outgrown. My mom and sister came out to the backyard with me and I got on, and of course promptly fell off as I tried to pedal. I didn't know that the mom and aunt living upstairs were on the back balcony, but then I heard the laughter - to which I got up and stomped off into the house. Even as a kindergartner's I was self-conscious, my pride was crushed and I would not get on that bike again and ended up giving it to my cousin Kevin.

Six years later I wanted to ride a bike since all my friends did. My parents got me a bike from the Bay, and I got up early on a Saturday morning, walked it to the nearest park and learned how to ride it myself. For two summers I warily rode with my sister and my friends, although I stayed on the sidewalk while they were on the street. I'm not quite sure why I stopped riding but I did.

Sorry this is so long, but getting back on a bike after almost three decades has been a bit of a revelation to me. I spent much of my adult life figuring I would never ride a bike, although every spring as people would be taking out their bikes and riding along Montreal's extensive bike path network I would think of how great it would be if I could do that too...

I never even told Jean-François that I wished I could try bike riding again, since I knew he'd be too enthusiastic and probably run out and get me a bike and then I'd be forced to try it. Which would then lead to me being cranky and nasty. Enter the Bixi bike system here in Montreal, which allowed me to spontaneously try out being on a bike again and happily realize that - although still rather spastic - I could still ride.

Which leads to my giddy expression above, with my NEW bike!!! I got a Trek Pure , and even with my super short legs, I can keep my toes on the ground because of the where the pedals are positioned. Verrry happy with it. Here she is:
Jean-François just had his bike refurbished, so we can now ride together. So much fun to be on wheels. Kinda silly, but I get great joy in saying the words "my bike" and knowing that I have joined the ranks of those-who-ride-bikes. It's new for me and it's a good feeling.

And on an unrelated note, here's a recent sibling photo, when my sister Nancy & her family, and my brother Doug were in town. Sadly, it was for a funeral, but it was at the same cemetary where our parents are buried and so we got to go for a little family visit :) Thanks to my niece, Naomi, for the photo, which I nabbed from facebook.