Lions and Tigers and Bears! Oh My!

I live in the town where I work. I can walk to work in 20 minutes. I can bike to work in 15 minutes. Work is a 5 minute drive from my front door.

Leaving the car in the driveway is a choice I seldom make, but yesterday I had a twinge of conscience and asked myself this question. "Why do you talk about the effects of our thirst for oil...and seldom ride your bike? Is that not hypocritical? I mean, why recycle paper goods if you do not use them yourself?"

So...with a renewed resolve, I hauled the bike out of the garage and peddled to work...and man, did I feel self righteous! The trip took me a little less than 15 minutes.

Throughout the shift I thought about my ride home later that evening. I looked forward to it. I looked forward to flaunting my resolve to hubby who I knew would wait up for me. It was 10:30 at night. It was dark.

I gave my report to the oncoming nurse and casually mentioned that I was anxious to get home as I was biking. I might have thought that she would impressed. Wrong!

"Wendy" she said. "Did you not hear about the two cougars that were spotted in the field behind the Home?"

Well...to be perfectly honest...I hadn't. I had forgotten, when I set off, about the bear that had wandered through town last week.

I think I handled the situation well. I told the nurse that I had no concerns, and then when I was out of her sight, I coerced a young nurse-that-happens-to-like me to walk me to my bike. I even talked her into giving me a 5 minute head start if I walked her to her car.

The trip home was less than 7 minutes. My heart beat like a trip-hammer. I am SURE I was followed.

I have a new resolve. I will NEVER ride my bike at night again! Yes...I do want to lose weight...but not as a result of a run-in with a cougar or bear and given that I seldom drive anywhere during the week, I think I can relax a little and enjoy the drive to work tonight as I never have before. I will be parking as close to the door as I can...