Summer

School has been out for two weeks now, but in many ways I feel as if my summer vacation has really just begun.  Last week was full of professional development meetings and completing my internship hours for my administrative certificate, so I was at school for a great deal of the week.  The weather has also been conspiring against pool-going and picnic-taking, so when the sun shined bright on Sunday morning, we all headed out to the forest preserve for a bike ride.

We're lucky to live in an area where there are miles of well-maintained (for the most part) bike trails that wind along rivers and lagoons and through forests.  It's easy to forget that busy roads and intersections are nearby when you're gliding under a canopy of green with birds calling above.

Because I'm usually biking with my family, I don't wear earbuds on these trips.  This gives me the opportunity to get lost in my thoughts while I ride.  On Sunday, I spent some time thinking about balance.  Balance, of course, is important on a bike.... you can't ride if you don't have any.  Balance is just as important in life.  If one part of my life is taking over my time and energy, my family suffers, and  summer is a great time to work on reinstating that balance.  I can spend time with my girls, just doing whatever strikes our fancy on a particular day without feeling overscheduled like we do during the school year.

I also spent some time thinking about how the bike trail in many ways mirrors the bigger world.  Along the trail you find people who are friendly, who pass you with a smile and a nod.  Several of the "real" bikers cheered Abby along with a "You're doing great.... keep it up!".... something she needed as we approached mile 15 of the ride.  Others, while not overtly friendly, were polite and considerate, letting me know they were coming up on my left so I wouldn't be surprised as they passed us.  Then there were the boors.... those people who seemed to believe the trail was theirs, those who didn't bother to let us know they were passing or who looked at the four of us as if we had no business being on a public trail on a beautiful day.  These are the same types of people I encounter as I move through my life.  The  trick is to focus on those friendly, supportive people who help you along the way.

So yeah.... it's summer.  The craziness of dance recital weekend and Abby's birthday is behind us, and the month of July stretches before us with the promise of a long weekend at Kyle's for the Fourth of July and our vacation to Louisville and Mammoth cave, then the girls are off to Camp Woodbrooke for two weeks of fun without Mom or Dad.  I just have to remember to slow down and enjoy it.