Milestone: Bicycling to Work

I rode my bicycle into work today, a distance of 4 ½ miles. It was cold, about 45 degrees when I left, and drizzly. I found my bicycle tights a few days ago so I wore those and my Burley jacket and my warm, waterproof gloves. I had my rain booties and my helmet cover with me but not on me, however, it never got wet enough for those. I rode slowly, but I made it to my office and it felt great. Instead of feeling like I had done too much, as I had feared I might, I felt exhilarated. Then I worked for a few hours. Both Merry and Ginny were there, so if felt like old times. It wasn’t a grueling day, especially since we had a lot to catch up on and spent a while chatting, but it was fun. There’s not a lot left to do on the study that Ginny and I were hired for. It’s such a contrast to when I left last fall. I have only a few things to tidy up and it will be done. It was a lovely job and I’ll definitely miss it, especially my colleagues. And I love the office. It’s such a great location, right downtown.

David met me for lunch and we went to an Indian buffet where I stuffed myself with vegetarian food. It's perhaps one of the last times we'll meet for lunch during the work day. That is, unless I find another job downtown. His office is going to move in three years to near the airport. He's already mourning the loss of a downtown office. It's so much fun to be right in the middle of things, convenient to the shops, the Main Library, PSU, parks, entertainment, and restaurants.

After finishing up a few things at work, I loaded my bicycle on the Max back and rode home from the 42nd Avenue Station. It meant going up a fairly steep hill to reach my house. I was apprehensive but I made it up with no problem. By the time I got home, I rode six miles total for the day, three times the distance I had tried post-chemo.

Last week I was so discouraged by how slowly I was recovering. This week small miracles are occurring every day. While I’m not yet back to 100%, I’m feeling like me again. I have a brain again and I can ride a bicycle, rather slowly, but enough to get somewhere.