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Finding peace of mind on a bike

           Christmas away from my children
                        school shootings                Sean                    bills      
                                      laundry           war              schedule                  lesson plans                                                         not running        package to mail         presents to purchase        hurtful words
                  poor choices                                  Afghanistan

"SHUT UP!"
I yell to all the thoughts swirling in my head.
They do not quiet.
They are always there.
Ideas for new lessons in hopes of engaging students,
What life is like for Sean half a world away,
When will I hear from him again?
Oh no! I need to remember to mail his package.
What must it be like for those 27 families in CT as they prepare for Christmas?
Do I have all the presents I need to get?
What will Christmas be like without the girls?
Laundry, dishes, vacuuming
I drive on in search of some peace of mind.

I follow his bike to get to the one I will ride.
Six months since I last rode - a 250 in class
Never riding the road on anything more than a scooter.
Pulling into the driveway, a Honda Shadow greets me.
Trepidation and excitement fills me.
Will I remember everything I learned?
He starts up the bike.
The roar of the pipes drowns out everything on my mind.
The drills begin -
First the driveway clutch exercises,
down to the stop sign to practice a slow turn,
around the block for shifting, stopping, and starting,
Each step of the way, my teacher guiding me.
 
And then, a longer ride
on a bigger road
the wind in my face
blowing away all my worries
back much too soon
plans to do it again the next day.
 
Driving home
feeling like I could take on the world
 knowing I needed to make the bike mine.
For the freedom and peace of mind riding brings
is better than any drug a doctor can prescribe.









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