The 24th Day of Christmas Joy

Recovering Joy

Sunrise at Jupiter Island, Florida during my joy filled ride

I was so excited today to be back on my bike after a long bike sabbatical, riding along the beach, during sunrise…three distinct things that bring me a lot of joy! I was taking it all in…the huge mega mansions around me (think Celine Dion and Tiger Woods), the peace of the early morning, the coastal sounds, the salty air, thinking about how happy my heart was and how I would write about this later. 

While taking in all the sights around me, I paid no attention to the sand dune that jumped out in front of me to interrupt my bliss. As soon as my brain processed what was happening, I found myself on the ground with my feet still clipped into my pedals. My hands throbbing & bleeding from the road rash, my joy filled bike ride now SUCKED & the pity party commenced!

I seriously considered calling it a day and phoning the hubs for a pick up. I was not seriously hurt and knew that I could make the ten or so miles back to the car. I just needed to suck it up and put on my big girl panties.

My pity party continued as my biking buddy and I rode back to our cars. I wasn’t enjoying my surroundings anymore. All I could think about was getting this ride over! My hands were stiff, throbbing & I had a numb bum from the lack of riding….serious pity party in progress!

For whatever reason, as I rode back, I happened to notice two men & a dog on the sidewalk out for a morning stroll. Upon closer inspection, I realized that the dog was a service dog that was being walked by one of the men, while the other man was in a wheelchair. The kind of wheelchair that was probably customized for him - like this is his life, not a temporary condition. 

It was that moment that God smacked me back to reality. Pity party over! I realized that I was indeed able to ride back with very minor injuries that will go away very quickly. Not being able to temporarily use three fingers has made me even more thankful for my very healthy and able body. And, in just a moment, I became very thankful for this mishap that brought me back to reality and recovered my lost

JOY!