Three False Starts

Zero for three is not a great beginning, but that is where I am this morning.  I like to document my successes, but I fail plenty.  This morning's example might just be a lesson for many of us.  So without further introduction, I present, "How to Not Go for a Bicycle Ride"...

False Start One

The alarm chimed at 5:00 am.  I was to dress, eat, and be rolling by 5:30...figuring a couple of hours early on a Sunday morning would be even greater than last week.  Unfortunately, I turned the alarm off and hesitated just slightly before crawling out of bed.  Slightly, but long enough to drop back into slumberland.

False Start Two

I woke up later, dressed in haste, and had a small breakfast.  I rolled out at 6:45.  Pedaling into the north wind, I realized I didn't have a planned route.  The size of my time opportunity window was significantly smaller.  A little irritated with myself for my prior failure, I pedaled and conjured a plan.  Turn around, go home, leave a little later, and pedal to church instead.

False Start Three

I packed clothes and other incidentals needed for a gathering to worship.  Going through a mental checklist of items, including a thermos of hot coffee, it seemed I was organized and had a plan.   I rolled out at 8:00.  Pedaling into the north wind (I have to start north to access a low-traffic county road before turning south towards Denton), I obsessed through my checklist again.   Realizing I wasn't totally secure about where/how to store my bike once I arrived (lost the key to my U lock), I turned around and gave up all attempts to ride until later in the day.

Lessons Learned

1. Only turn off an alarm in a standing position.

2. Don't worry about having a detailed route plan.  Make it up as you go.  The important thing is  to GO.

3. Beg to store the bike indoors after you arrive.  Sometimes you just have to work out the details in route.  

Conclusion

As you might guess, three consecutive failures could lead to a sort of determined go-at-any-cost kind of ride in the near future.  That's probably good for readers of this blog, because that's the kind of situation that leads to amusing stories of the author's suffering.  Wish me luck, I'll need it.