Hello old friend

You've sat with your head in the corner like you were being punished, gathering dust when you yearned to be outside. The only trips you have had lately were when you were dragged out for photos like some classic car that never gets driven. You sat quietly while I ignored you, resisting the urge to say, "you know the number would be smaller if you took me out" whenever I reached beneath you to drag out the scale.

It was my fault, not yours. I apologize.

We went out for our first ride in nearly a year. The bike performed beautifully, and all the muscle memory came back to me quickly. Soon we were zipping downhill with the wind in our faces.

Too soon after, I was trudging up a hill, looking for a lower gear. We rode an ambitiously hilly route for our first time out, and the muscles were now remembering how different biking is from running. I was properly humbled for the year of neglect, and I could swear that I heard some quiet, mechanical laughter behind the spinning gears.

Can't blame you.

I promise it won't be as long as it was last time, for your sake and mine.