Albert Einstein
Six a.m., and I open the back door to see what kind of damage the storms left me with last night. But the morning breeze, the sunshine, the little squirrels out running the fence... all greeted me and it was just beautiful. It reminded me of home. It reminded me of being a kid and how on Saturday's, I absolutely could not wait to run outside, jump on my bike and be gone. My beautiful Schwinn Varsity 10 speed which was like riding on a cloud, in circles around our neighborhood, for hours on end. My bike was the one way I could escape Mother's laundry list of chores she had us tackle every day, but it was Saturday. And if I left the house early enough, well... guess who wouldn't be cleaning the pool or raking the yard or scrubbing the sidewalk with a toothbrush... not me! Not today. Today was about freedom from school, freedom from chores, freedom from my little brother. Peace was the goal. It was just me and my bike. See ya!
Reminiscing over coffee brought me to a conversation I had last night. You see, it was a week...and I mean one of THOSE weeks. You know exactly what I'm talking about. The pressure from work, trade shows, spreadsheets, phone calls, etc., is overwhelming and you forget to order your plane ticket for next week. A “right out of the shop” repaired car gives a drivetrain malfunction code and there's fresh oil on the driveway. The divorce will hopefully and finally happen after almost three years of waiting. Both daughters headed to prom... dresses, shoes, flowers, tickets, prom t-shirts, makeup, jewelry... name it... you're going to buy it. And as the night wears on, you're alone and it brings you to the point of breaking. It is unbearable. “Honor and duty must always come first. Yes, unfortunately”. And I felt bad to have complained because my dear friend was having the exact same kind of week.
It is 2 a.m. It is dark and the rain is so loud you can't hear yourself think. The tornado warnings and the thought of pending destruction and doom make it hard to rest. The stresses and the anxiety of what's left to do to make your job, your children, your life... successful, it will break you if you're not careful. And it is during those times, you absolutely have to find the will to keep moving. What is the vehicle of perseverance to overcome all that you are faced with? Why should any one person have to deal with so much?? Because its life and life happens and this morning... as the breeze blew in the back door, I smiled and asked myself...
“where's my bike?”
-Helen Merrifield Dupree
THE SOUBEL LENS
Where’s My Bike? is about continuing when several things go wrong at once. Resilience is not always dramatic. Sometimes it is finding enough perspective to handle what comes next and keep moving.