Tiny Victories

I've been riding the bike to work lately on days when it does not look like rain. I rode it on Monday, but since the forecast called for rain on Tuesday, I decided not to risk it and drove my gas guzzling suv, instead. And the day turned out sunny and gorgeous. On Wednesday, the forecast again called for rain. Dave needed the suv so he could pick up his parents from the airport after work. So I decided to chance it and rode the bike.

It started to look overcast about the time I was leaving, but the rain held off. I said a little prayer in my head for it to please just wait until I made it home. Not two seconds after that thought had left my brain did the sky open up. And it didn't just rain; it poured. It was storming so hard that Dave later told me his parents' flight was delayed because the weather conditions would not permit them to land safely. They spent 50 minutes circling the airport. That was the 50 minutes it took me to get home on the bike.

I made it safely, despite the lightning and fallen (or falling) tree branches. And despite the deer that ran in front of me out of nowhere. I had to stop at one point because the lane was closed due to a fallen power line and wait for a police officer to direct traffic (me) around it. I had stayed relatively dry up until that point because I was moving. Once I stopped, it was all over.

I didn't want to stop and wait it out because I knew my in-laws would be at the house soon. So I pressed on and finally made it home. The power was out, so I had to park and walk through the house to manually open the garage door. I didn't know how to do that, but now (thanks to Dave) I do.

In a way, I consider my experience to be a series of tiny victories. I was worried about being caught in a downpour...scared that I wouldn't be able to handle myself on a motorcycle. I feared falling on slick roads. I feared that the bike would malfunction. I feared that I would be drenched in the spray of oncoming cars and lose control. I feared the unknown. Now, I know better. And I can finally say that I've had an experienced on a motorcycle that Dave has yet to have had. And that makes me feel a tiny bit triumphant.