Feb 19 2009
Bicycling Through Life
As you take a glimpse into someone else’s life while reading their blog, do you ever wonder what else may be going on? Sometimes it doesn’t take much to know what’s going on, while others are topic driven and you never get much of a view except for the topic they write about. Maybe it is because to some people writing is a form of therapy and to others they are very private and only choose to share what is relevant to their interests.
I can draw a lot of analogies to riding a bicycle and life. For example if you don’t have balance on a bike just as in life, you may fall and possibly be injured. Another one could be if you travel too fast through life or ride a bicycle too fast, you will miss a lot scenery along the way.
Sometimes loss of balance or missing scenery along the way appears to be inevitable. Other times regardless of what you do or how well prepared you are life just happens. This happened to my best friend and his wife several weeks ago. On the same afternoon within an hour of each other they were both diagnosed with cancer. His wife was diagnosed with having a baseball size tumor in her lung and he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. They both live a healthy lifestyle, are in good physical condition and young, yet they have cancer. Next week they both begin their treatment regimen together. My mother had cancer 15 years ago and beat it. But today my mother informed me she has colon cancer.
The cadence of my riding tends to show the state of my life. Slow cruising along pace enjoying the smooth easy riding when life is going well. Sprinting, having fun and full of life, when I am feeling ornery. Hard, fast, and angry, while grinding away at hills when I feel so helpless.
Today I will go for a ride to celebrate, enjoy, and appreciate all of the things the people close to me bring to my life. I am sure I will ride all of the types of cadences mentioned above and probably a few I have not visited in a while.
So there you have glimpse into my world. Still on topic but a bit more revealing. Writing can be therapeutic as can bicycling, but I think bicycling is easier and more fun. 
Read your post, don’t know what to say, save that my thoughts are with your friends and your mum, and I hope things will improve for them.
Good luck to your friend and his wife and your mother.
What a lovely post, though sad. I use biking and writing in much the same way–to celebrate, to worry, to mourn, to plan, to relax, to feel… I am sending good thoughts your way to you and yours through the blogosphere.
Thank you for letting us have a glimpse into your life and all my best wishes go out to the people close and dear to you that have been diagnosed with cancer recently. I hope they all make a good recovery.
Thanks for that. There are a few people I know I’m going to miss terribly one day and I try and spend time with them now, while I can.
Best wishes to your mum.
My thoughts are with you, your mother and your two friends. Also thank you for a most thought provoking article. Safe cycling.