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Day’?s Verse:
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Matthew 5:11-12
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I spent most of this morning’s commute thinking of the perfect complaint phrasing I wanted to use on my blog. My workday happened boringly, with a few bright interludes — several people signed up to donate money to my MS Bike Ride, so now I have a total of $180 in pledges so far. I hope one of you readers will donate on my personal page to bring me up to $200, or better yet, $225…

Over the course of the morning, I received what felt like an almost endless stream of comments about riding my bike in this horrendous weather. One coworker likened me to the Post Office, which I took as a flattering compliment. Another coworker offered me a ride home, but I politely turned that kindness down, leaving her shaking her head. Mercifully, my workday ended promptly at 4:00, and by 4:05 I had navigated my way out of our ice-bound parking lot.

During my seemingly endless ride home, I decided to share a list of highlights of my ride, rather than try to expound on the apparently endless negatives the experience entailed. So without further ado, the highlights:

• Parting the Red Sea: Several times, a car drove through a gigantic, deep puddle immediately before me, leaving the pool of water cleared away on either side of the tire track. This allowed me to quickly ride through the middle of deep puddles on virtually dry ground, much like the Israelites crossing the Red Sea.
• Free Glasses Cleansing: Once a truck drove by so fast, an ocean of water washed all the way over my head, completely inundating me. This had the unexpected benefit of totally clearing one of the lenses of my glasses of grit and water-droplets, letting me see much better afterwards.
• Remarkably Helpful Strangers: A lady turning right paused as I approached her. I feared that she would zip in front of me, but instead she rolled down her window and shouted something. I looked over, and she shouted again: “DO YOU WANT A RIDE HOME?” Touched, I shouted back, “NO THANKS!” but waved when she passed me a minute later. She more than made up for the person who honked at me as they passed me while also splashing a vast wave of water over me.
• Calm in the Storm: Occasionally the diagonal headwind howling at me from my left side subsided long enough to let me ride a little faster and steadier. This boosted my morale unspeakably, since trying to stay upright with heavy gusts of side-wind can be difficult, and today I particularly wanted to stay upright out of the rivers of water.
• Damp, but Warm: Despite two pairs of socks and my wonderful water-resistant booties, my feet became thoroughly soaked within minutes of leaving work. However, I spent almost the entire ride with remarkably warm feet, even though I could feel water squelching as I pedaled. Those booties continue to protect me from chilblains and its chillier cousin, frostbite.
• Rainwater Rinse: The heavy inundation with water completely rinsed my hair and clothes of most dirt — although, of course, water off the road is of dubious cleanliness.
• The Appreciation Factor: Nothing like coming in with icicles hanging off my helmet (this morning) or drenched from head to toe (this evening) to make me appreciate the luxury of warm, dry air. My coworkers spend plenty of time complaining about the excessive heat in our area, but I rarely do. Days like this remind me how valuable warmth and dryness really are. Luxurious, really.

All in all, I came up lots of things to be thankful for even in this dreadful weather. Then again, spot of sunny fifty-degree weather wouldn’t go amiss, either.

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Please help me raise money for the MS Bike Tour Cape Cod Getaway. Donate today on my MS Participant page.
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