Saying Goodbye to Winter

This river may still be frozen over but it is no longer covered in snow…

Warmth is slowly returning to the north country and winter is bidding us a reluctant goodbye.

When October 2013 came around so did the snowstorms and I retired my little pink mountain bike for the year. Winter did her best work and piled on the snow and cold. It wasn’t until the end of March last year that I was able to get back on my bike. It only took me few weeks into spring to realize how much biking and living car free meant to me. I started to explore the idea of biking through the winter and by the beginning of May a battle had begun in my mind.

To bike or not to bike.

I thought about it constantly; while I was biking to work, whenever I was on the internet and before falling asleep at night. I obsessively ran through all the situations I would face during the coldest months of the year.

How would I respond to snow? Ice? Falling? Sliding cars? Low visibility? Plow trucks? Was I strong enough? Brave enough? Committed enough? What if I was injured? What if I had to wake up really early to make to work in time? What was I willing to sacrifice to make it work?

For the rest of the spring, summer and fall my brain was continually filled with thoughts of winter.

Then the snow began and so did this blog. For 4.5 months I have been immersed in all of the cold, snow and magic that winter brings. This winter season has been an incredible time of growth in my life; physically, mentally and spiritually.

Essentially, it has either been winter or my thoughts have been focused on winter for the past 17 months. In that timeframe my perception of winter has changed dramatically. First, winter was an obstacle that kept me off my bicycle, then a dreadful, shadowy fear that haunted my mind and then finally and unexpectedly, winter became a season filled with adventure and magic.

But now I am saying farewell to winter.

It is time for spring.
And flowers.
And green grass.
And ugly but somehow cute baby starlings.
And mud, lots of mud.
And rain.
And long rides.
And faster rides.
And rides with people.
And I am just slightly excited.

I am going to start off this spring by biking every day in the month of April. (Thank you Kel, for introducing me to the 30 Days of Biking website.) After that, I have no idea what will happen. But I know it is going to be an adventure!