Wednesday, August 31, 2005

Carefree Days of Yesterday

Yesterday I was riding my bike back to work after teaching an afternoon yoga class. I was relaxed and carefree, still in the afterglow of a peaceful chivasana as I careened down the hill with the remnants of the morning rainfall splashing up my calves and the middle of my back. La-dee-dahhhhh...

All of a sudden, a car climbed up around the hilly corner towards me, going at a good clip. I was turning the corner at the same time, also at good clip. Pumping my brakes lightly so I wouldn't go ass-over-teakettle as I swerved closer to the inside, I could feel my back end start to fishtail out behind me. Panicking, I unclipped from my pedals and proceeded to throw the bike in front of me down the hill! The bike skidded down as I hit the pavement, clear of the passing car.

The bike was fine, and I was fine, mostly. The driver of the car leaned out the window to check on me as I yelled "SAFE!" jokingly. My sacrum had taken a bit of a pounding and my hand and elbow were sore as a result of my FOOSH (Fall-On-Out-Stretched-Hand). No blood, rips or tears were evident, aside from the scrapes on my shiny new wedding band.

But I was shaken, badly. Just the day before I was reading my "What to Expect When You're Expecting" book and I was laughing because it warned against bicycling in traffic or during sub-par weather conditions. I thought "AS IF I'm going to stop biking to work, why don't I just curl up in a corner for the next 7 months?"

But when I sat down and thought about it (on the pavement, hurting and embarassed), I realized that there are some things a little more important than saving bus fare or keeping up my regular routine. And there's nothing lame about ditching my normal training schedule. Hell, I get winded taking the stairs right now.

So this morning I took the bus on a day that I would normally bike. Instead, I'm looking into taking my pre/post-natal specialization in October, which will allow me to teach perinatal classes while I'm perinatal. It just seems like a better fit for my newly-expanding waistline.

3 comments:

  1. Ah...parenthood. All those things you used to do without thinking that suddenly scare the living shit out of you...welcome!!!

    For a while (months and months) before and after Emma was born the thought of getting into my car terrified me, I worried I'd be killed in an accident and Emma would have to grow up without a father.

    I worried.

    It was a weird and wonderful realization that this tiny new, defenceless creature had such power over my life. Like one night I went to sleep and during the night surgeons implanted an invisible cord that went straight from my heart to my child's pinky. Anything that threatened that pinky became an instantly heart stopping event.

    But, it gets easier. I mean, the cord is still there and any little tug still causes cardiac trauma, but you get used to it, and eventually you forget what it was like before it was there. You can't imagine your life any other way...

    So, again, welcome ;-)

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  2. Newly expanding waistline eh? ha ha
    I can't believe that you are going to have a baby! What a change from the Callie I met two years ago! I guess that puts off Callie World Tour for another couple of years.
    Congratulations to you and Jason!

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