Slow the *(&% down

A week ago today my life flashed before my eyes... so I smacked right into it.

My philosophy already tends to lean toward less being more, so I'm not the type that gets caught in the tail-chasing rut of working to keep up with the Joneses. Modest house; utilitarian cars; back yard staycations... No, my life was simply getting too busied with work projects, freelance I never can say NO to, kid activities, home repairs and trying to sneak as many bicycle rides in there as possible. Things were piling up. They're still piled up, but I've been given reprieve to step back and sort them so I can better tackle each one.

Last week my buddy Joe and I set out at 5:30am for one of our morning rides. A great 30 mi loop out around lakes Lakewood, Blue Springs & Jacomo. It had rained out several mornings before so we were anxious to get the miles in. About 16 miles in, heading down the hill to the west of Blue Springs Lake, she darted out across my path. A backlit brown blur was all I saw. A couple hoofclaps on the pavement was all I heard. I braced for impact turning in my right shoulder. A clanking mass of metal and man finally came to rest on the slope of asphalt. I did the "that f@©#!ng just happened" in my head as the pain quickly seeped in. Instinct for me is to hop up & walk it off - I laid there a moment to catch my wind and then stood up as Joe helped me and my pieces off the road. At first inventory check it appeared all my parts were there and all were good. I've never broken a bone before besides my nose, so I didn't really know what to expect but as my right elbow sprouted it's own spherical fruit I began to assume my arm might be broken. I think Joe called his neighbor to bring his truck to pick us up as I was deciding whether or not I needed emergency attention. Slipping into shivers & shock I told Joe we'd better call the ambulance. I ended up going to Centerpoint trauma center and xrays showed a busted elbow. Surgery needed to pin & screw all the loose pieces back together, but my hip scan and CT scans came back clear.

It could have been so much worse. So what - my race season is done, but I am not paralyzed and have been spared the gift of life. I'll be back on the bike soon enough, and the piles of stuff won't all go away, but things are a bit clearer now.

I needed this.