My dad stayed here last week during the eve of Critical Mass.
'Hey,' said we. 'Lovely day for a bike ride.'
And it was.
Two friends, one husband, and a daddy in tow, we joined the cluster of thousands of happy cyclists, and pedaled our butts off for two hours. The camaraderie of the ride was beautiful, the positive energy infectious, and en route to saving the planet, a new family tradition was born.
There must have been 15,000 other bicyclists with us. It was a party on wheels! Cars honked, pedestrians high-fived us, cab drivers laughed, and the sea of bicycle bells chimed in unison.
"We're all goin' to the game!" a cyclist exclaimed jokingly.
Our bepedaled mob approached the ballpark, much to the amusement of the cheering crowd outside. We made a call-and-response chant for them with our bells:
"LET'S GO, GI-ANTS!"
tring-tring tring...tring tring
"LET'S GO, GI-ANTS!"
tring-tring tring...tring tring... etc.
Huh huh, we fooled them into thinking we knew there was a game on. Like we follow sports other than Tour de France. Please!
Actually I've never watched the Tour de France either. There goes my cred.
Cops and cyclists jointly blocked intersections to allow us to breeze through red lights all the way downtown. Power to the people, man.
There's nothing as liberating as riding with several thousand bicyclists in Union Square, completely emptied of cars. Freed from the noise of engines, one could hear primal yelps of joy amid the gentle whir of spinning spokes. Music poured from bikes hauling amps on homemade trailer carts. Tourists with Saks shopping bags emerged from soaring retail cathedrals to gawk at the spectacle.
In a single invigorating evening, we reclaimed the road, kept "mass", and rode out the hills with smiles on our faces. It could make an apt metaphor, destiny willing.
"Thanks for riding your bike today!" a friendly stranger waved as we headed home toward the setting sun.
All aglow over the fun ride, daddy made filet mignon, HB scrubbed potatoes, and I chopped chives. The cats love him. We love him. Everyone slept better while he was here. I'm trying to convince my dad to move to the city. We�re a proper family when my mom's not around. That�s unfortunate, but I haven�t lost hope that she can still find herself, somehow.
The situation is rough, but I'm strong and stubborn and weathering it just fine. It's everyone else I worry about. I'm the most necessary person in my dad's life right now. I'm also the only sane woman capable of upholding the family.
(Did I just use the word sane to describe myself?)
Oddly, I'm not bad at it. I'm the mama hen for now, but that's fine by me. As long as HB, daddy, and brother are huddled under my wings they'll be eating well and trying new things. There's nothing better than being surrounded by my three favorite men. In their presence, it's no wonder I feel strong.
4:05 p.m. - 2008-04-28