Stuck On the Side of the Road.
I'd like to add another to this list- getting two flat tires within the span of three miles. There's something very humbling about being stuck on the side of the road with everything that you need (extra tube, CO2 cartridge, tire levers) except for the CO2 adaptor. It must have fallen out during an earlier ride, and I had never even noticed that it was missing from my bag. After an SOS call went out, Tony arrived promptly with minutes- with a bike pump, an extra tube, CO2 cartridge, an adaptor valve, and his trademark smile. My faith in humanity has been restored. There are some people out there who will literally drop everything at a moment's notice and come to our rescue. May good karma follow that man always.
There are plenty of times in life when I feel like I'm prepared and I have everything- that my emergency flat tire kit is all complete except for that one thing. Turns out that without that one thing, nothing else can happen. Everything else in life just falls flat (no pun intended).
And that's where friends come in. They show up when we're stranded on the side of the road with that missing piece- sometimes it's encouragement, sometimes it's 'tough love' advice, but that missing piece is what sets us in motion again in the right direction.
I am definitely a work in progress. I'm always learning. Tonight's dinner meal is proof that progress (albeit slow) can always happen. With a little culinary inspiration from PK, I was able to experiment and try new flavor combinations and colors and textures. This is coming from a girl who used to microwave veggie burgers and call that dinner. So if I can slowly emerge from my culinary shell, all hope is not lost.
Roasted pumpkin squash, fennel, brussels sprouts, blood oranges and hazelnuts mixed over a bed of arugula.
We are all works in progress and we desperately need each other, no matter how hard we try to be independent and self-sufficient. I'm learning this on the bike, in the kitchen, in my workplace, in my relationships. There is wisdom and beauty in this truth. Trust it.
And if you ever find yourself stranded on the side of the road, call me. I'll even bring you a cold drink.