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Right now? I’m staying at my mom’s home in the bay area, entertained by kittens and occupied by a pile of books I’ve been meaning to finish reading for a while (in some cases more than a few years). I’m taking it easy as doctors, friends, and family recommend. I think I might actually be getting the hang of this “relaxation” thing.

Originally, I had planned for this to be a prolific summer of wrenching, riding, and increasingly independent living and unparalleled personal productivity. As of my second knee injury and resulting surgery though, it looks like I’m going to have my leg in a cast until at least the end of July.

I feel pretty lucky that the idea of working full time when most of my peers are taking a vacation excites me. Like most bike shops, Pullins Cyclery gets especially busy when nicer weather arrives, and it looks like rising gas prices have lead to even more people pulling dusty bikes out of garages or starting riding for transportation for the first time. I’ve come to understand that I get the most satisfaction from my job when my hands are busy from opening to closing. If I forget to take lunch until late into the afternoon, it probably means I’ve been flipping tools, hopping from project to project, uselessly wiping grease from my hands, and running about with a frantic grin on my face.

As much as I was looking forward to long hours though, it’s not really safe or productive for me to be in the shop with a stiff leg. If I had been able to work for a few months, I had planned to take a train trip to the East coast to visit friends and family. Unfortunately this too has to be scrapped as the situation demands.

Earlier this year I made a promise to myself to give cyclocross riding a try, and to actually attempt some races. Even after my first knee injury, I figured I’d be able to work some kind of purposeful ‘training’ into my riding in the months before the winter season rolled around. I also intended to keep with a routine of weekend century rides that brought me such exceptional health and strength in the Spring of last year. Being off the bike until the end of Summer cuts into these plans though.

This time around I will return to riding much more slowly. Instead of hopping back in the saddle as soon as I’m flexible enough to do so, I will try to wait until the majority of my flexibility and basic strength returns. When the time comes, I’ll put together something with some low enough gears that I won’t need to stand on while pedaling, and I’ll take it easy.

In allowance of these altered plans, I’m going to take next semester off from school, to give myself not only time to heal but to return to a way of living that satisfies and fortifies me. Hopefully, many of these plans will be translated to the fall.