Sheltering Along the Riverfront Trails
A beautiful bluebird spring day had me flee the house after days of working on papers. I’m not in training mode, so if I’m on my bike I need a destination, a purpose other than zones or watts. I had heard that the cherry trees were in full bloom downtown and that the city was deserted. I packed up my Canon and my bike was eager to spin its wheels too. We did find the cherry trees, but unfortunately also all the other Pittsburghers who were taking great relief from sheltering in place and roaming the riverfront trails. I felt a twinge of guilt and naivety contributing to the exodus. Social distancing seemed to be optional as I watched small groups of fitness classes and families and friends roaming in packs together. PSA - the city may be deserted of cars because no one is working, but the trails are in full use.
In the Strip District I stopped by Old St. Patrick’s Church to have a bit of solace and enjoy their beautifully tended garden. The sculptures appeared to have sympathy for our fears and I was grateful.
I expected the Strip District to be deserted. Maybe it was a Friday night take-out rush, but there was much more car activity than I anticipated. Supporting these small businesses is well worth it.
My energy to ride is getting less and less and I actually had to request a pickup in Crafton from UberDad. It doesn’t take knock-down waves of stress to impact your health. Often it is the repetitive impact of the ocean’s movement that prevents you from getting to shore. I’ve learned to be gentle to myself as this is another cycle (no pun intended) that I will emerge from. We all will.