It’s about perspective. Sometimes you don’t get what you want, but what you do get turns out even better – if you give it a chance.

I remember the weather guess about a week and half ago calling for just enough snow to make driving – and cycling – a problem for that Saturday and Sunday. The cycling part bothered me. I’d been just a hair ahead of pace to meet an aggressive personal mile goal this year that runs April to April but was starting to lose ground due to weather and a stretch with the flu (yah, even with a flu shot) that kept me off the road in December.

Then it started to snow, and the more that fell, the more my attitude clicked over from “Enough already!” to “All right! Bring it on!” My chest was bouncing with my heart racing inside. 

That Sunday morning, I woke to pure magic: pristine, fluffy cotton in trees, white comforter on the ground and dramatically swirling grey and yellow skies above. Right after breakfast, I slid the cross country skis in the car and got out to the trails at nearby Lake Chauncy.  Almost every turn I made around a bend was like turning a page in a winter wonderland fairy tale where one scene is more spectacular than the other.

As the days passed last week, even while streams changed from black water to solid grey ice, the snow became thinner and the rocks below more free to grab my skis.

Yesterday, I was back on the bike, and I’ll be on the bike again today. I know now that short of making myself crazy for no good reason, the mile goal I set for myself this year is out of reach. I’ve learned to be ok with that – I’ll still have ridden more miles in a year than ever before. But even better: I’m keeping a smiling eye on the weather eager for another “Star Wars” ride, ski or anything else I can do to make the most of whatever we get.

Just bring it on!