Cycle Therapy

I rode my bike on my favorite trip to Lakeview Lake. Lakeview is and oxbow lake, part of the Kaw River that took a sharp turn and eventually got cut off from the river flow. I had no idea how much drought we were having, but it is REALLY low, mostly dry on the east side. The Canada geese and snowy egrets were standing in the middle of the lake where there used to be water at the beginning of summer.

Rain to me is mostly an inconvenience, messing up my hair before work or making it difficult to see while driving. Out there it is a matter of survival. A farmer was harvesting some grain with a combine while his kids were playing with horses and the cattle were watching me from the feed lot. Chickens were wandering around everywhere eating rocks, as chickens will do.

All of this is just 5 miles north of town, 5 miles from anything at home that may be bothering me. Out there I can be entirely in the moment, free of distractions and "stuff" I have to do. It's an 11.5-mile round trip. I so didn't want to go but I feel much better now that I did. I am posting this to remind myself to get out there and ride if I am ever feeling down.

I was reminded of summer of 1998, when I was unceremoniously dumped by this guy I was living with. I would take my bike out every night, ride my 6-mile ride crying in the dark the whole way. After about a month, I didn't feel like crying anymore.

Cycle therapy works for me.