Today...I rode my bike again

Today I rode my bike.  It is a pretty red bike that Eric bought for me when we were engaged and I have loved it ever since.  However, it had sat in the garage for 16 months now, since Eric died.  I have passed it every day when I go to my car, I have seen the dust collect on it, but I haven't been able to ride it.  Haven't wanted to.  It has just been too difficult.  It has been easy to try new things or do things that Eric didn't like to do because there were no memories attached, but the things he loved, or "our things" have been so painful.  

Today for some reason though, I felt the need to ride my bike again.  I guess I was ready.  I felt like it was something I needed to do.  Once the tires were aired up, I went down the road and floods of memories filled my head...of all the rides Eric and I had together....all the special gear he bought for me...the times he adjusted my seat to just the right place or how he was trying to teach me how to ride with clipless pedals.  (Biking was Eric's thing!)  My mind even drifted to the triathlon we were going to do in North Dakota together.  His strong points were swimming and riding, and mine running, so we were going to both work and learn together on it.  However, since we received pretty quick orders to Louisiana, we had to cancel our race.  Once we finally got settled in Louisiana and started thinking towards finding another race there, he got sick.  So, we never got to do our triathlon together.  Maybe someday I will tackle one myself. :)  But for today....I rode my bike.

Our last ride together took place along the river in Shreveport during Eric's cancer.  There was only one day during Eric's illness where the combination of his cancer and my pregnancy met up and gave us the okay to go riding.   It was a day when he had energy, where you would never have known he had cancer.   I will always remember that day and treasure it.  Just another memory of my time with my husband and best friend.  I miss him.