Bikeday

Oh, what an adventure today has been!

Nige and I have driven over 400 miles, passing rapeseed fields that filled the car with the sweet, heady scent of spring, stopping at service stations to eat sandwiches, crisps and ice cream (I'm such a bad influence on him!), listening to great music (this ain't no party, this ain't no disco) and visiting his best friend and her three incredible daughters on the way home.

The purpose of this last-minute road trip? Collecting my new touring bike, which we won on eBay last night, (although for five solemn minutes we thought someone else had one it and were both cursing guttedly, before realising that the winner, 'r***p', was Nige himself! Oh, how we whooped and giggled, giddy with excitement!)

And let me tell you - the bike is a beauty. (Photos to come!)

Nige said it really well this afternoon; it is really important in this lifetime not to settle for second best. Settling means accepting less than your heart desires, which in terms of furniture, or clothes, or in this case, a bike, means that you just won't like the thing you've chosen, and that energy will be associated with whatever the thing is for as long as you own it.


When it came to finding a road bike for me, Nige and I refused to settle. We had looked at a lot of different bikes, and none of them had felt right (a bit like Goldilocks when she came across the first of the two bowls of porridge in the Three Bears' cottage).

Until last week, all the bikes we'd looked at were somehow not quite right. Either aesthetically, I'd just not enjoyed looking at them, or they had crappy componentry like wilting rear geraniums (now I really sound like I know what I'm talking about), or they've been way too expensive, or something just hasn't felt right. I'm a huge believer in trusting your gut feeling on things, and the more I turn to it and trust it and listen and just go with what it's telling me (it's always clear as a bell if I choose to pay attention), the better the guidance I receive.

And then this turned up, this beauty of a vintagey sort of bike: 10 years old, made in England, with a cherry red Brooks leather saddle, and leather bar tape (which Nige is jealous of and just offered to swap his black bar tape for - no thanks!), and for anyone who knows anything about bikes, a bit of Campagnolo, too.

Inspired by Julia and Alia, I attempted today to embrace the spirit of yes in my life, and have had a wonderful day. It's genuinely felt like the beginning of a new chapter, a key milestone on the journey I'm on, which is slowly, steadily heading towards the dream of touring. It is no understatement to say that today's events will result in my life changing.

Quite apart from actually acquiring the bike, I have had some wonderful interactions with people today - the guy who we bought the bike from and his wife, and her sister; Kate and her kids, who are so alive and creative and inspirational and worthy of a post all of their own; and some honest, and also quiet, moments with Nige (it's been a bit tough recently).

Saying 'yes' has been really helpful, positive and enriching, and best of all, I get another chance tomorrow to say it all over again!

Yes!