By James Durand
Spring Break is upon us and with that, Chenoa planned a little trip for the fam to get away and relax for a few days. No school, no work, no chores, just fun.
We headed to Victoria and it was pretty chill. We mostly did whatever our kids wanted to do.
Water taxi ride, Bug Zoo, parliament building, lunch with Granny and Grandpa, shopping for a few small things, and the highlight might have been the escalator at The Bay. I’m not joking, they did laps up and down. (We clearly need to get them out of town more often).
We had a great trip and I honestly did relax a bit, but several times a day a thought crossed my mind. “Why aren’t we riding?”
With multiple days off work, this was the perfect opportunity to squeeze in a few bike rides. Victoria is awesome for longer road rides and I couldn’t help but notice hundreds of road riders blasting past me on my way to … um … not riding a bike.
It was great to hang with Chenoa and the kids with no work interfering, and considering it is Spring Break, the kids’ wants got priority. it’s their holiday, not mine, but in reality, there were still a few hours every day where I was just waiting around for the next activity, the kids to choose their lunch spot, or even one day where they both fell asleep for an hour after a long walk through town. All great opportunities to sneak out for a quick rip to stretch out the legs and lungs.
I was smart enough not to say any of this out loud at the time. I can only imagine the eye rolling I would have gotten from Rhyley, but nonetheless, the thought wouldn’t stop nagging.
I think it comes down to efficiency, multi tasking, and better planning. I’m chalking this one up to a learning experience and the few family trips we have planned to Whistler this summer will be as efficient as can be. No down time for Dad. Wear the kids out for a few hours then go ride for a few hours while they rest. It won’t be relaxing and I’ll return home exhausted, but I’ll be smiling from ear to ear.
I’m sure in 10 or 20 years I’ll appreciate rest and relaxation, but for now, not so much.
I’m James Durand and I’m Goin’ Ridin’…