favorite things 07

a good friend and i were talking recently. he was telling me he had started a daily workout routine of running and cycling alternating. he had just injured his ankle and was favoring more time on the bicycle. the day before our conversation it had been extremely windy and wet as he headed out on the bike and he cursed the elements as he pressed on through his ride, feeling underprotected while screaming at the skies. "you know, there's just something about having the right gear for whatever activity you're doing" he said. "i mean, you can do it without, but it just makes things so much easier"
true that. i've been blessed by inheriting this proper gear for my old motorbike from another true friend. before, i'd tear around all season in my jeans and an old leather jacket. i wrote an earlier post about what trips were like then here. winter is by far my favorite time to ride here in california. it never gets colder than my second skin can handle and i don't have to deal with all the summer garage queens on the back roads. as chill air races around me, inside my road suit i am warm and well protected.
i love too the ritual of putting it on and taking it off, like the samurai preparing for each day, meditatively donning his armor before heading out and then hanging it up at day's end leaving the outside world on the threshold of personal space. there is a clear line of separation between the outside and the inside worlds. and when you head outside, you'd better be prepared for battle.