At the bottom of the hill

I caught a warm ride home

The kids still mock me about this.

Do you remember the time you had to call mom to come and rescue you?

They delight in this.

I delight in this.

Yes, I remember.

I love how they get to see me as fallible. They see that their dad sometimes needs help too. They delight in knowing that I sometimes can’t keep up with my friends. They love to see their dad as limited, humble, vulnerable and human.

After calling for a pick up, I still had to travel another two kilometers over rough terrain with a frozen body, broken seat and questionable steering.

Pedal pedal pedal, glide (repeat)

But then, everything went quite, the resistance in my feet, gone.

I stopped, looked back and saw my chain on the ground.

I really needed a bail out.

No matter what, I needed help.

With a broken chain, it was gong to be at least three quarters of an hour before I got out of the woods. I was frozen, wet, hungry and barely mobile. Whether having money for a taxi, or a loved one to call upon, there was one certainty: I was not …