My New Hero

This morning I am riding along the river wash. It is the usual route I take when I cycle. On this day, I do not have the mountain bike. Instead, I am testing new road bikes. Yes, I feel guilty about ditching an old friend. Is this how I reward loyalty? It's not permanent. I won't remand it to a corner in the garage, never allowing it to feel sunshine again...really...

I am very excited because my favorite bike shop, adjacent to the river path, is loaning me two different Canondale models! The first I try is a CAAD 10. What a dream! It really moves, taking the hill of the bridge with minimal effort. Oops!...careful on the downside! Coming up the path is a woman I have seen before. She is walking toward me with her usual gait of the tinest baby steps, ever so slowly. It's almost as though she is walking on eggshells. Maybe she is... I feel guilty. Here I am having one heck of a time tearing on this bicycle, even against a strong wind, and this woman is doing all she can to move the slightest of distance. I've seen her before. I don't know if she is recovering from a medical event or if she is staving off the effects of a disease process. What I do know is that she is persistent.

I head back to the bike shop and change out models for the Synapse. Out again, I see my lady friend still making her way toward my starting point. She is a very attractive woman, probably in her 60's, with beautifully coiffed short blonde hair, fashionable white sunglasses, and up-to-date sport attire in pink, black and white.

On my way back, she is doing side-step exercises in a very slow and very deliberate manner, carefully placing her foot with each move.  You can tell that this is part of her regular routine. It is consistent, and she is diligent.

 
The bikes are returned safely to the store manager and I retrieve my keys. As I head to my car, I see the woman approach her own. It is a sporty little convertible! I smile and wave and she does the same in return and recognition. What she does not know is that she is my new hero.