May 14

Morning began with the smell of coffee. My wife teased me again and made herself an espresso. One day I may want an espresso. Today was not that day. Another zoom meeting in the morning then I needed to go to work. I elected to jump on the bike again. I cruised down the road to the other side of the bridge.

I was going to get gas. I was running a few minutes late, my fuel indicator said fifty-six km till empty. No problem, I thought, I can make it to my meeting and get gas after. After the meeting I steered my Honda back on the highway and started for home. My fuel said forty-two km till empty. I wasn’t too worried.

Riding my bike is something that I can never get enough of. I soaked in the warmth of the day and rolled my throttle as I leaned around the corner onto the Bennet Bridge across the lake. The sunshine and clear sky was intoxicating. I relaxed and sailed along in the right lane breathing in the fresh lake air and view. Across the bridge the road opened up. I rolled into my throttle going around the corner and up bridge hill. The surrounding beauty buoyed my spirit. I passed the offramp to westside road, that’s when the first sputter happened. Awareness dawned on me. My fuel gauge may not be that accurate, it was still telling me forty-two km range. When my motor sputtered again, I knew that forty-two was a lie.

The left turn light at Boucherie road was the longest traffic light ever for me this afternoon. I stopped, second in line, I could sense the bike was running on fumes. I stopped my motor, knowing that I was almost at the gas station. I could see it, tantalizingly close. The light turned green, I fired up the bike; it started, it sputtered, it died. I tried again, nothing. Traffic was backing up and going around me. I felt like a clown as I leaped off my bike and started pushing. The light turned red again, I stopped and stood next to my bike. Disgusted with myself I laughed and readied myself for the light to turn green. The longest light ever! When the colour changed I started pushing and almost ran to make it across the road to safety. The light to turn left may be long on the red. It sure didn’t give me much time on the green.

I parked the bike as close to the curb as possible and walked up the hill to the Esso station. When I entered I looked at the guy working behind the Plexiglas and shrugged my shoulders. “Jerry can?” I asked. He gave me a sympathetic look and glanced out his window.

“I see you there” He handed me the small Jerry can, “make sure you bring it back.”

I went outside to the pump, put a few dollars in, and walked back to my bike. Humbled by my experience I reminded myself that I really need to focus sometimes. Note to self; do not trust my fuel gauge.

I came home to my lovely wife busily working away at the computer. My precocious daughter was doing the same. I was sure only one of them was being productive. Computers have taken a larger role in our lives since Covid19. We had a Zoom Business After Hours this evening to finish off what turned out to be a fairly busy day. I didn’t plan for the extra time that I spent on the road, but you can’t plan for everything.

Our zoom meeting was quite interesting and it was nice to see some familiar faces. Nothing will replace person to person contact, but in these strange days it would have to do. Our MLA Ben Stewart was there and he was a guest speaker. He spoke to how the government has done well flattening the curve. He spoke to the plan on opening things up. He talked about how the opposition and the government have cooperated on the response. I was very pleased to hear that in BC people put politics aside and worked together to face such an unprecedented challenge. Next up was our mayor Gord Milsom and he also spoke of things our city is doing. I felt very proud to be a part of such a wonderful community that has pulled together in these times.

A common theme at the meeting was we are headed for a new normal. People don’t want to return to how busy life was before Covid. People are walking, riding bikes, enjoying their homes and neighbourhoods more than ever before.

After our meeting, I felt compelled to call a couple neighbours and arrange a walk. The Paynter Road gang we called ourselves. The five of us and one dog went down our hill for the umpteenth time, social distanced of course. Dairy Queen seemed like a good destination. Another bonus of these days is they let us walk through the drive-thru. We laughed as there was another pair of guys walking in line not far behind us. We enjoyed our sweet treats as we wandered back homeward. On our road home we ran into our kids. The other Paynter Road gang. It felt like a throwback to when I was a kid. People walking and hanging out, the hustle and bustle has subsided.

People have adapted to the world as it is and people will continue to adapt. A new normal has already developed, a calmer normal, where walks are the entertainment. Where we can connect with each other online, and on our street. We continue to build connections all around us.