Two wheeled soul

I'm on my way my friends. On my way to the next level. The fourth dimension, if you will. Yes, yes, I'm on my way to getting even more joy, and peace, and dare-I-say "enlightenment" out of something that I already get a lot of good stuff from. Sure I could continue to ride my current bike that has been so faithful and carried me through some significant events in my life for another 6 years, but the truth is, it really doesn't fit me too well, and after riding about 70 miles after my man Husam significantly modified my current bike to reflect my optimum fit, I finally see what he's talking about. 

"The joy of riding a high-end bike is worth every penny" he says matter-of-factly. "Bill, life is too short to skimp on the important things," he says. "Isn't it? Why wouldn't you want a custom bike that has been set up specifically for you that will make your soul happy?" he wonders aloud. "What are you waiting for?"

Yep. This is it. It'll have different wheels, and I'm gonna wait until the spring, but I love the idea of trading in the trusty Subaru forester of a bike for a Ferrari of a bike. Sure, I'm still going to be providing the power, but won't it be fun to have the power end up feeling more powerful, and joyous, and healing, and soulful?

Well. I'm waiting for my mind to catch up with reality. You see, I've always been way too cheap to justify spending anything above the bare minimum for any of the stuff I've been involved with. I've always bought used skis and used cars and tried to make do with stuff from the want ads (way before craigslist), and most times that's all I ever thought I needed or was really entitled to. But I'm finally realizing, bikes are different. Why would I want to skimp on something that give me so much joy, and could honestly increase the comfort, the speed, the joy I get from pushing myself--sweating, freezing, breathing, aching-- out in nature on the bike everyday. Hasam has fitted me like the pros get fitted, and it's changing my world. Who knew transformation could be so easy and so profound?

That's the real question, isn't it? Transformation? Is it ever easy? I know for myself, without going into too many of the details, that 2011 has been the year of transformation, and while there have been moments sublime, I've also had more than my fair share of terror. Abject, seemingly bottomless, terror. But maybe that's how it goes. The terror comes from the old self dieing so the new, deeper self can live. Now don't worry. I'm not going to start chanting or grow a pony-tail, but I know that's exactly what's happening. I/we are transforming. And the relief and the freedom I've felt on the bike has been a big part of the action, a big positive part of my life. Like it always has.