Ok, my bad...

I thought this morning’s ride had that 9:00 start time, but it turns out it was 8:00.  (Apparently it’s just the weekend rides with this club that start at 9:00 during the wintertime).

So, if the ride starts at 8:00, and she rides to the meeting place, that means she has to leave the house at a little after 7:00, at which time it was still in the mid-30’s or maybe upper 30’s at best.  No way that’s happening.  And if she drives out to the meeting place she’d gain about 45 minutes, but it was still going to be dang cold even at 8:00.  And when you’re already in a nice warm bed, “dang cold” is not easy to overcome. 

“So, then why,” you might be thinking, “doesn’t she just go out at 9:00 or 10:00, after it’s warmed up?”  Well, that’s where you really have to know Brenda.  You see, for me, I wouldn’t think twice (if I wasn’t at work) about going out by myself later on in the morning.  But that’s me.  And if there’s one thing I’ve come to understand in our 34 years of marriage, it’s that Brenda and I are nothing at all like Jenny and Forrest.  That is, we’re not like peas and carrots at all—we’re more like peas and… oh, I don’t know, maybe peanut butter.  For me, riding is all about riding.  But for Brenda, it’s a social event.  For her it’s all about spending time with her friends, which is easily one of her top 5 favorite things to do in the whole world, probably one of the top 3.  And that, as I’ve finally come to understand, is why we work so well together.  If it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t know more than a half-dozen or so people.  And if it wasn’t for me, she’d never do anything for longer than about 23 minutes before she’d be on to something else. 

I don’t know why it happens, but I think this is not particular to just Brenda and me.  Why is it that people see something different and exciting in someone else, hook up with that person, and then spend the following years fussing about those differences?  (Ok, here’s where I confess:  I like country music.  Yes, I like lots of other music too, but I love country music because only there can you find songs with lines like “God is great, beer is good, and people are crazy.”)  That’s it.  People are crazy.  Myself included.  But in all my craziness, there’s one thing for which I will remain eternally thankful:  I have been blessed enough to remember why I fell in love with Brenda in the first place!!  And after all these years, I still love her. 

So even though any other rider might have gone out by themselves today, she chose not to.  But she’ll still get in the miles.  The goal is still the goal.  And I’m still as much in love as ever.