Feeling Gravity's Pull

I haven't worn black dress socks with plaid shorts simply because it's been winter. But with jeans, and Adidas, I am guilty. I don't choose to, I just do. It happens. And I don't care. I'm old.

It didn't used to be this way when I was young and svelte. I didn't eat steak dinners with martini's then though. Now days I take a somewhat guilty pride in the fact that I can just see my black stocking toes extruding from the profile of my belly when I stand tall and look down to contemplate my core strength. It's been a long time since I lived by simply eating, sleeping and riding a bike. Anymore I don't ride or sleep, except in fits.

And when I can ride a bike, it seems I break bones. Twenty-year-olds break bones while doing crazy feats against gravity on tiny, 20" bikes. Not me. I use a 26" rental bike made for grown ups, attempting less crazy feats against the same gravity. While wearing black dress socks and jeans. Two objects of varying weight may very well fall at the same rate of accelleration, but the fat, old one breaks his left elbow to match the right one he broke years ago, when he lands.

I remember being 19 or 22 or whatever, and working through some early season tendinitis. For two-weeks I iced, massaged, and fretted over my aggravated knee. Fearful of what the loss of 10-14 days of riding in mid-January would mean come June. Anymore, I think of how two weeks (or 4 in my most recent case) off work will affect a family vacation in June.

I think about my 401k, politics and their effect on Social Security, war in the middle east, job security, schools for G, health care, the mortgage, etc. etc. until even with the painkillers for my broken and bolted back together bones, I can't sleep. Then it hits me; It doesn't matter if I wear dress socks with jeans or shorts, there's way more important crap to worry about. When will I be healed enough to go for a long bike ride again?