A Week of Firsts

This week has been a week of firsts for me and Roni.


Last Wed I was watching the weather and saw that Sunday was supposed to be in the mid 70s and sunny. I had been feeling pretty good and was beginning to think about getting my motorcycle and go riding on Sunday. It had been about 6 months since I had ridden, and I was a little nervous about getting on the bike again. Physically I thought I was up for it. Still a little weak, but strong enough.

So on Thur, I called the guy who I left my bike with. He was not home, but his mother-in-law (probably watching the kids) said he was in CT for some HOG training. "Great." I thought, "I won't be able to get my bike now." I was told to call later to speak to his wife. I called about 9:30PM and his wife said that I could stop by Friday after work and get it. That would work out, as I had to get to the dealer before they closed and get it inspected. As it had been off the road for over 6 months, it did not have the registration sticker (I did bring that with me to put on) or current inspection sticker. I wanted to make sure I got to the dealer because I did not want to risk getting a ticket. Anyway, we get to the house, later than I expected, and after a few mins, the bike fired up. I let it warm up as Roni and I put our gear on, then getting directions to the dealer, we sped off.

As we were riding to the dealer, I kept looking at my watch, realizing that we weren't going to make it. About 6 PM (when the dealership closes) we were still about 40 blocks away and I told Roni we were too late. She says a quick prayer, "G-d, please let someone still be there, and let them have compassion on us." Well, we got there about 6:10 and pulled up outside the service entrance. I saw that there were still people there and figured they were getting ready for an open house the next day. I then asked the service manager if it would be possible to get my bike inspected real quick. I knew it would be quick because last year, it took all of 5 mins. This year they broke that record and did it in about 3 mins. OK, they really didn't "inspect" the bike. They basically pulled the old sticker off and put the new one on. Good enough for me, as least I was legal.

It was now about 6:20 PM and we headed home. Roni suggested we stop by the Cohen's (our Rabbi and his family) to show them that we had the bike. You should also know that when we first got the bike in Apr of 2002, the first place we rode to was the Cohen's. That time they were happy for us. This time they were ecstatic to see us on the bike again. That was a sign to them that my recovery was really moving along. They then invited us to stay for Shabbat dinner which we readily accepted. We had a great time and rode home afterwards happy and content.

So, I told you that, to tell you this. Because Sun was going to be beautiful, I wanted to go on a decent ride and I wanted Roni to come along. On Sunday, I got my haircut (first haircut since my surgery - whoo hoo) and cleaned some of the dust and grime off the bike. Then Roni and I went on our first ride since sometime last summer. It was my first real ride since all my medical problems began on Oct 8, 2003.

Also, since I had been feeling so good, I also decided to try going back to the gym. On Wed about 5:30 PM, I went to the gym for the first time since my surgery. I spent about 40 mins there and came back tired, but feeling like I accomplished something.

So this really was a week of firsts. Not a lot, but a couple of major ones. And for me, that's pretty darn good.