I rode my unicycle in the rain. And it was great.
Its nice to have someone to talk to. To bounce ideas off of. This morning it was my tenant. He was in the kitchen when I got up. I told him of my plans to unicycle. He notified me of the rain outside, although it seemed to be letting up. We discussed numerous topics, as we occasionally do. One of my points was how, when I was younger, I would ride my bicycle in any weather. Weather never really had any bearing on my plans. If I wanted to be somewhere, my bike was in motion. Seriously, there wasn't a weather event that stopped me. The obvious questions, then, is when and why did that change?
As the owner and sole proprietor of a window and gutter cleaning business, I worked outside in all weather. Summer sun so blazing hot that the asphalt roof shingles would melt under my feet. Winter blizzards found me hauling a 32-foot stepladder through 5 foot snow drifts so I could walk on 2.5 story roofs and shovel snow off. Outside. All the time. Any weather.
Then, in 1997, I injured my back. That seems to be a defining moment of my existence. After that, my careers changed. Everything became a challenge, and I was no longer my past physical beast. Indoor, physically un-demanding jobs became the norm. My mental tolerance for anything uncomfortable fell drastically. My norm became whatever was easy, whatever didn't hurt. I lost a big portion of what had made me feel like a man.
In 2011, my back was healed. I don't know how, and I certainly don't understand why, but the pain mostly left. Its been a struggle since then to regain what I feel I have lost. My emotional cycles are more apparent. The inner struggles seem to get the better of me, and it makes life uncomfortable for me and those around me who catch me in a mood. I have learned to walk away from people when I'm moody, although that's not always possible. Then, you just have to tolerate me.
There have been events as of late that have challenged me, mostly emotionally. Mentally, I can justify almost anything. Dealing with the circumstances of the events can be much more difficult. Letting people down is not something I take lightly, and not something that I ever forget or let go. Its in these moments that I understand what grace is, and trust me, when I need it, I appreciate when it is given. Undeserved favor is truly a gift.
So while talking with my tenant, I decided the rain wasn't going to stop me. It was cool outside, sweatshirt cool. It wasn't raining at first, just misting. This would be my first unicycle ride in a year. Last year, I only rode once, and it was miserable. I pumped up the tire, got my gear together, including my new helmet, and walked out into the wet coolness. It felt great. As I began to ride, I felt good. A few houses down, and I felt strong. Like I hadn't lost a beat. I had anticipated the burning thighs, as is typical of a first ride. Nope. Made it to the end of the street, and felt like I could ride for miles.
I made it up the first little hill, which rather shocked me. It always gave me trouble. But I felt amazing. Not wanting to hurt myself, I purposely stopped at the half-mile mark, a flashing light at Kent and Fernbank. The best first ride ever, felt strong, and no UPDs. That's Un-Planned Dismount, or "fall" in uni-speak. I paced back and forth for a few minutes, mostly wondering if I would make it back without falling. My body was ready. I jumped back on, and rode home like I did this in my sleep. Wow. Didn't think that was possible.
I climbed the three front stairs without groaning or limping. Quads didn't even feel tired. My wife asked me how I felt, and I answered with a couple of double fist pumps in the air. I would have done the Rocky dance, but there were ceiling fans to consider.
Where this goes from here is up to me. To all of you who struggle daily to function like a normal person, I feel your pain. For me, its a force of will to make anything happen. Today has been a good day.
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