Riding in the Rain

September 20th, 2008; 3:38 AM

Current mood:calm

I rode home today in the rain. It was my first ride in the rain. Everyone made such a big deal about it. Before I left work, a beautiful woman gave me a little talk about being careful out there. It was so sweet. I felt cared for. I told her I would ride slow and be careful. I actually enjoyed my ride. The air felt crisp and refreshing. When I stepped outside of the office, I could smell the fresh rain. -I love that smell. I remember my brother Anthony telling me when we were kids, that it was the smell of all of the dirt kicked up by the rain that I could smell that I liked. It was the iron from the ground. The smell of earth. The process of the air being cleaned made it smell so wonderful. It was also the bacterial spores (actinomycetes) flowing up into the air like nature's aerosol spray. -Much better than Aquanet! The air hung heavy around me. It enveloped me in its aroma. I found that only the hard-core were out today on their bikes. And each one greeted me with a smile and a wave. Kind of like a sisterhood. (Only with mainly male members.) I actually really enjoyed myself. When I got home, I brought my bike inside (realizing that I now need to buy something to hang my bike up inside now that it's raining.) I stripped off my clothes and took a nice hot shower, like Mike told me. I asked him if people really rode their bikes in the rain. And he said "Oh yeah. I used to commute all the way up to Healdsburg everyday, even in the rain. The key is to stash your clothes at work, and to take a hot shower when you get where you're going." -We don't have a shower at my work...so that plan won't exactly work perfectly. But I did have a nice hot shower awaiting me at home. It felt great! I love being home.