Today was fantastic. I haven’t been having many fantastic days of late – not because they have been bad, I’ve just been eyeball deep in this insomnia cycle and it makes everything a little harder than it needs to be. But today. Ah, today! We have perfect spring weather going on right now. The highs are in the eighties during the day, but once the sun starts to sink, the temps start to drop and it’s cool and refreshing. And at night, it’s dropping into the low fifties, so more than cool enough to sleep with the windows open and the big comforter (because my hubby likes snuggly blankets as much as I do).
We rode into town to try out the new-ish pizza place. The pizza was decent but the atmosphere was…strange. Sports bar style, but with a guy playing guitar and singing a mixture of songs he really shouldn’t have been singing and only occasionally throwing in a country song that suited his voice. It was an interesting meal, but not the highlight. The highlight was the ride home. It wasn’t a long trip, we just went to Alabaster and came back. But the back roads way from Alabaster back to Monty Town is my absolute favorite regular route for us.
If you’ve watched any of our riding videos (which I will hopefully soon get off my bum to start making again), then you’ve seen the route, several times from several different angles. We love taking it, not least of all because it’s such a beautiful trip going to a place where we spend a lot of time, anyhow. It’s got great curves and dips, lots of trees and fields, and when it’s warm, it’s got plenty of cool, shady stretches. And tonight, it was just right. It had still been 80 when we left out, nice and warm. And then coming back in, it started to drop off, getting down right chilly in a few stretches. And for someone who feels smothered at the moment, caught indoors and not sleeping, it was refreshing.
And, as always, riding feeds a part of my soul. I feel connected to the world around me, which connects me more fully to my Gods. And it’s spring, with what I think is jasmine blooming EVERYWHERE. It’s beautiful and smells fabulous everywhere we go. And there’s something about sitting on the back of Buttercup that makes me feel closer to my husband. I can’t explain it and I’ve stopped trying to.
I think my favorite spot is on 15, as we’re coming into Montevallo. We go up at such an angle that we both lean forward (because otherwise it feels like you’re going to fall off the back) and kind of lose a bit of speed as we go through a green tunnel. And then we reach the top and the world opens out for us before a deep drop down the other side. There’s a moment, just a moment, where I feel like I could spread my arms and just lift off into the air. I’ve never spread my arms going down, as I think it would scare the hell out of Sir Joshimus, but I’m tempted every single time. It’s a freedom that I hate I cannot capture on film (yeah, yeah, it’s digital, not film, shaddup) to share with you all.
I wish you all, each and every person who reads this, the joy of spring, all year long. I wish you quiet moments of peace and thrilling moments of exhilarating joy. I wish you abundance and I wish you new beginnings where they will help you grow.