How Way Leads on to Way

In his famous poem The Road Not Taken, Robert Frost pens the lovely and wise phrase, "Yet knowing how way leads on to way. . ."

Well, way has lead on to way for me since I bought my bike. Oh, I thought it would be simple: Buy a bike, then ride it. Turns out there's more to it than that.

As Jennie pointed out that fateful day, if you buy a bike, you need a few other things: a helmet, a safety vest, a bike rack for the car, and - just one more thing - a metal bar that fits on the bike so that the bike can fit on the rack that fits on the car. All those things take mastering! And I am not a thing kind of person.

I can, however, be a determined kind of person. So I have risked broken fingernails and frustration, and not only can I adjust my helmet with that little turny knob and fasten the strap, I also figured out how to get the black bar onto the bike, and glory hallelujah! I can also actually lift the bike and fasten it to the rack. This has taken quite a bit of doing, and I have a sense of satisfaction that I (who always ask my husband to do the hard things) am taking these things on.

But way continues to lead on to way, and I have decided what my tingling feet and legs need before they pedal my adorable pink bike again is to get stronger by riding a stationary bike. So Friday, I ventured to the Monterey Sports Center and with the help of a very patient young man named Sean, I have learned how to adjust all the moving parts on the several models of stationary bikes. Since I don't have the endurance to ride any of the bikes for very long, I ventured onto the treadmill and discovered that I quite like it! Now if you had told me I would ever want to use the machines at the Sports Center, I would have said you were crazy. But I'm quite looking forward to going again tomorrow.

I don't know what will happen next, but this is one surprising and fine adventure! To paraphrase Frost, "Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubt that I shall ever turn back."