You know I almost quit~

Good evening everyone out there from my home in south central Kansas.  It was an absolutely beautiful Indian summer day here with the temperatures in the mid-70's and a sunny, blue sky.  For nearly the last day of October, you couldn't have asked for better conditions and as I watch CNN in the background on my TV, how grateful I am to live where I do.  I cannot even begin to fathom what the good folks back in the north east are going through at this time.  My power is on,  my house still standing, and the car is full of gasoline.  The "plate" here at the Miller house overflows with goodness and yet I'm sure that I've felt like complaining sometimes today.  I'm thinking that even with the minor things that I perceive to be major problems sometimes, somewhere back in Tioga County, New York there is someone wishing to trade problems with me.  And if not there, then just pick any state back east you know of...trust me, there's several to choose from.  

Tonight as soon as I could get home from school, I decided to not let a moment of the remaining daylight hours to get away from me.  Changing my clothes as fast as I could, I jumped on my bike and headed out.  With such little daylight hours left after school, I've been glad for the last few days to get in a quick ride each day that I could.  Life in general has been a little on the stressful side here as of late and as I have said many times before, there is absolutely no better way to get rid of some of that stress than to get on a bike and ride like crazy!  (just a saying, please don't think I'm really riding like crazy)  I headed straight for my old stomping grounds, the Jim Martinez Bike Trail in the west part of the city of Hutchinson.

There is something about being on a bike that I just enjoy tremendously and as I rode down the path, coasting down the hills at about 20 mph, I had time to reflect on what all has happened in life for me since my August of 2011 accident last year.  I remember vividly having the feeling that it was probably better to just sell the bike rather than to have yet another accident on it.  I had just bought it brand new the spring of 2011 and I thought that if I wanted to get any kind of selling value from it, that I'd better do it quick.  I spent a great deal of time second-guessing myself, wondering all along  as I went from surgery to surgery, if I would ever have the courage to try it again.  The few times that I rode between surgeries never really amounted to much of a ride.  I went for 4 or 5 miles and then would turn around to go home again.  I was always scared of falling and once again breaking something and I think that fear prohibited me from returning to the kind of rider that I was before I got hurt.

Thankfully, now things are much different and rather than being fearful of another accident, I look forward to all of the challenges that I encounter.  I still hate to come across dogs (especially the ones that chase me), the wind is always blowing out of whatever direction I am riding into, and if I were to have a flat tire, then I'd be "UP" that infamous creek you often hear them talking about.  But as I rode along the path tonight, my overwhelming feeling is one of gratitude, of not being afraid to give riding a bike another try.  And for every bad thing that "old lefty" endured, there were a thousand other things that were blessings for me.  Tonight's 7 mile ride was one of them.

I was 55 years old when the Miller Bucket List had its conception as an idea.  It began as a way to chronicle my upcoming journey that year on the Bike Across Kansas.  It was to serve no other purpose than that, yet 428 posts later, I still enjoy writing about life.  I have had the opportunity to work through many of my bucket list ideas and the original list of 10 things has been written and re-written at least 8 times now.  One thing I have learned about keeping a bucket list is this~the ideas on it have to be "fluid" in nature.  What has looked like a good idea at one time in life, is not necessarily all that wonderful once you finally get the time to do so.  But for better or worse, my "Miller Bucket List"-8th revision, is listed below.  

1.  To power parachute once again.
2.  To canoe down the Ark River once more.
3.  To learn how to sew something for the very first time.
4.  To ride the Bike Across Kansas 2013 in its entirety~I only made it halfway across the state in 2011.
5.  To continue landscaping and redoing my backyard to make it more 'user friendly' for an older person (that's me)
6.  To connect with each of my Facebook friends in person, buy them something to drink and talk about life.
7.  To skydive.  (I cannot believe I am saying that!)
8.  To travel to New York City to see my niece Jessica and learn what it's like to live in "her" city and to spend a few days in the village of Owego, New York once again.  
9.  To learn how to drive a "standard" rather than an automatic vehicle.
10.To follow the advice of my good friend, who once said that I should never let my bucket list go empty because you absolutely cannot kick a full bucket.  

What ever you should do in this life my friends, whether you believe in the validity of a bucket list or not, I will always hope for you that you live your day as if it were the last one you might have and enjoy every moment of each passing day.  My yearly "trips around the sun" seem to go faster and faster.  For in as much as I am able, I will do as the "Good Book" admonishes us to do..."This is the day that the Lord has made for me and for you all as well.  So, we should all be rejoicing and be ever so glad in it."  Good night to you all on this the 30th day of the month of October, 2012~a great day to be alive in.

The spring of 2011~what got this whole thing started!  LOL