Who doesn't want to run away? Sometimes, even if my life is going pretty well, I fantasize that I could just pick up and run away. A new town. A new life. Everything left behind.
But I don't actually want to do that. I feel a deep obligation to family, friends, and community. I'd never be able to live with myself if I just took off. But truly, on some days, I feel like the only reason I don't want to is because it would be a real hassle. Lately, on these days, I do whatever I can to get out on my bike. Memphis opened a new rail-to-trail greenline about a year ago. It's a safe place to ride, and it spans a good distance, and I'm told the length will be doubled in the coming months.
So this is what I do lately when I want to run away. I get on the bike, and I run away.
Another reason I've decided to get into cycling is that I am a cancer survivor, and I need some kind of exercise beyond what I did before I was diagnosed, but something more entertaining and less high-pressure than just going to a gym. Recovering from chemotherapy and radiation takes a long time, and from what I've been told, you never really are the same. I still have days of unexplained exhaustion, but they are fewer and fewer in the two years since I finished treatment. Fortunately, the cancer was caught early, so I have every reason to believe that I will be fine long term.
This is my blog, and I will not be talking much about cancer here. I will not to be one of those people who are defined by the disease. While I am going to be doing things like Race for the Cure, I do not want to be one of those people who talks about it all the time. Nothing against people who do that, it's just not me. I chose to never own the disease, I don't own it, and it does not own me. Unless we use the the kids' slang definition of the word "own", which is to kick it's ass. That I can do.
Anyway, while there are no guarantees, cancer hates people who eat right and exercise. I'm doing as much of both as I can. The great thing about riding is that I can get this exercise, while watching the scenery go by and working through my thoughts. My thoughts are very strange and jumbled sometimes, and need to be sorted out. I usually do this in my sketchbook or in a pocket journal, and now I will also be using this blog, but none of that is getting me really great exercise at the same time. So I'll just do all of the above.
The Shelby Farms Greenline is my usual route. It's straightforward, easy to ride, and lovely. That's where I start. There are some trails that run off of the greenline, and more at the end, inside Shelby Farms. I've done both, though I wouldn't say I conquered either.
The part of the line closest to me is quite shady and pleasant. There is some construction going on right now, a bridge is being built over the path, but the constructions isn't really intrusive, just unsightly.
The only bad thing about this path is also a good thing, it gets a LOT of use. Bikes, runners, walkers, kids, cats, dogs, chipmunks, skaters, etc. You really have to watch that you don't run into anyone or run yourself off the road. I've walked on the line as well, and I have been nearly mowed down by people on bikes. It's unpleasant. I ring my little bell when I am coming up on someone. Unless that person has headphones blasting, they know I'm passing them.
About halfway down the line, this mural was painted on a train bridge. Urban Arts handled the project. I think it's nice. It's not over the top, and adds a little more color to the ride. Unfortunately, some people have taken this as a signal to make their own art in a few places along the road. Even though I'm an artist and an art teacher, and I really do understand that graffiti art is art, I just don't want it on my trail. This is where I go to get away from clutter and stuff. Someone thinks it's cute to spraypaint on the path. It is not cute. Of what I've seen, there hasn't been a lot of artistic effort put into these paintings. They mostly look like some kid wanted a thrill. It's annoying and I really want it to stop. Plus, one or two of them are somewhat obscene, which is doubly annoying.
So here are a few shots I took with my phone. I will eventually figure out how to carry my SLR on the bike so that I can get better photos.
Milk thistle is really lovely in the fall when it turns to white.
The Wolf River section of the path... This is my favorite part of
the whole thing. This time of year you get some nice cool breezes off
the water and from under the bridge, even when it's warm outside.
On the way back, this is when I know I am almost at the end. I refer to this section as "Kudzu Towers".
By the time I get home, I usually feel energized and so, so, so much better than before. This is not just physical, but mental too. Running away from home is ultimately a good thing when you know you have a home to go back to. My life is pretty good. What I've been through is really starting to seem like it didn't really happen to me, even though I can't help but wonder why I got to survive while others didn't, I don't dwell on that too much. I don't believe anyone deserves to have cancer, so asking "why me?" is ultimately moot.
I'm still feeling out what and how I'm going to use this blog. I really don't care to write about myself all the time. We shall see.
