This week it stopped raining long enough for me to get out on my bike. My bike is actually my true love.
I had a bike stolen many many years ago and, rearranging a replacement bike, the person I spoke to on the phone at Wheelies talked me into getting a Specialized Rockhopper. Back then it was just a 26 inch wheel sweetheart. Now, due to yet another bike theft replacement, I have a 29 inch wheel beastie. Oh my gods and goddesses I love it so much.
So today I spent the morning exploring a small corner of Pakuratahi forest in Upper Hutt. The park is almost opposite Kaitoke, which is of course famous for Lord of the Rings, Rivendell. It was less than half an hour’s drive from my house and it was just completely divine.
If ever I want quality time with my true love, I just do it. As well as the tons of places nearby by car, there’s a great ride just ten minutes cycle away. It can be a quick hour and a half up and back, or I can explore and end up take several hours exploring the fire breaks (which are massive and steep as fuck. A serious heart and leg workout). I have other loves. There’s gym. Gym supplements my relationship with my true love by helping me be the strongest I can be, so I can power up the hills. The part of Aotearoa I live in is all about it’s hills! And there’s reading. Reading means I actually have to sit down and relax. Although I can walk and read, it’s much nicer to be lounging around when reading. I would also normally mention my garden as one of my loves, but this week is planting week (and next week, because it rained most of this week), so this week is just hard work. Today, after some focused time together this evening, it felt like me and garden can be friends again, but yesterday I was ready to leave!
This week I also submitted a story to a journal. I gave several stories out for feedback to some reader friends, and I received a rejection letter too. Just a standard one from another journal I submitted to recently, but it adds to my small pile of rejection letters. Like I’ve said I’m aiming for 100 and I’m not even in double figures yet! So I’m trying to send something off regularly. And this week I’ve written heaps, but am at the ‘everything is shit’ stage with my writing, so I’m happy to ponder my true love and feed my mind, body and soul with blissful, happy, sweaty, sexy, I love my bike, effort and fun. Sometimes, that’s just what needs to happen.
Dane Divine: Storyteller 