Remind Me

When I get that way, remind me that a bike ride really helps, especially with a girlfriend on a sunny afternoon, and the wind at our backs for most of it.

Remind me how we pedaled past the vineyards and the walnut groves, past fields of orange marigolds and dark green kale, past horses grazing in pastures and new-cut hay that smelled as sweet as root beer.

Remind me about the lavender farm, and the cottonwood trees, and the way the road stretched out for miles sometimes with not a car in sight.

Remind me how good it felt to work a little harder on the rises and anticipate the glee of the descents, and that 20 miles on a nice paved road is just enough to get you charged.

Remind me that all the things I had to get done were able to wait for awhile, that I function better when my head is clear, and the little voice that said yes to the bike ride is the voice I should listen to more often.

Remind me that riding a bicycle can still evoke the sense that I am ten years old... on a Saturday morning.