The weather was beautiful last weekend, almost early spring-ish temperature, blue sky and bright sunshine. It was a welcome respite from the recent snowstorm and overall gloomy winter. I, like many others, did not spare this golden opportunity to venture outdoors and do something, and I hit a bike trail looking forward to a 40-km ride.

On one particular narrow segment of the trail, I was forced to walk my bike because an old lady with a support stroller in her hand occupied almost the entire path. She was, understandably, walking slowly and apologising for blocking the path. “I know you youngsters don’t like to be held up like that” she said something to that extent (making me chuckle at her emphasis on the word ‘young’). Soon the path widened and I peddled off on my racer bike.

Less than a kilometre later, my the chain of my bike got stuck in the rear derailleur and I was almost thrown off the path (due to the speed). I took that opportunity to take a break, relax on the nearest bench, have a sip of water and then get ready to fix the chain. It turned out to be somewhat complicated and I had to undo my tyre, etc. (irrelevant details). I was almost ready to take off when I heard a feeble voice.

“Are you alright? I can give you a ride in my vehicle!” I laughed as the same old lady caught up with me, offering a seat in her stroller. Her smile was warmer than the rays of the sun and her laughter was more cheerful than the song of the birds. For the next little while, I walked; her on one side and the racer bike on the other… what a weird mix.

It sounds like a silly story now that I read whats written above. Nevertheless I enjoyed spending time with her in a slow and ‘inefficient’ manner, without the constant need to ‘do’ something. It not only made her happy but also made me appreciate, among other things, the little pleasures of the onset of spring: tender grass, bugs and birds, while a random patches of snow (like the picture above) were melting away into oblivion. After all, what’s the rush?

¶ Blogged by Priyank Thatte