It’s no secret that as we age, things get progressively worse.
We get a little less limber, a little slower, maybe we lose some strength.
I still feel young, but I have noticed it takes a bit more work to keep fit, I have to watch my diet more closely, and I assess risks differently than I did a few years ago.
Just last night, I was coming up to my favourite trail and planned an attempt at the KOM (fastest time logged on a certain trail), but as I started to push harder, I realized dusk had settled in and visibility was limited, the roots were slippery, and it felt like the risk outweighed the reward. I slowed down.
Now with all that said, I still manage to ignore most rational thoughts concerning aging and I pretend, as often as possible, that it has no affect on me.
I like jumping, riding fast down hill trails, and attempting goofy tricks on my bike. And most of the time I can fool myself into believing that 50 is the new 30.
Last week, as I was riding to School with Rhyley, I was practicing wheelies. As we started down the steep hill below our house I was coasting nicely on the back wheel. I thought this would be impressive to a seven-year-old, but then I looped out backwards and smashed into the pavement with such force that my vision went blurry for a second. I took the entire hit on my elbow.
Being a proud Dad, I jumped up and tried not to cry, then we continued onto school like nothing happened. I rode some trails on the way back, trying to shake off the crash, and when I got home I had a look at my elbow. It was bruised a bit, but not cut or damaged badly. Ha, maybe I got away with another one.
I woke up the next morning and noticed my elbow had swollen to the size of a small grapefruit, and most of my arm was green, purple, brown, and black, with some nice yellow accents.
As I write this, nine days have passed, and my arm still looks disgusting. The swelling has receded, but the many colours covering my arm are a sure sign of reality, and age. Am I going to quit doing stupid things on my bike?
Nope … Just going to be a bit more careful when I do them. I’m getting older. I didn’t say I was more mature.
I’m James Durand and I’m Goin’ Ridin’…