Hope Unknown

 Hope unknown. Sometimes just waking is surreal.

 Like everybody else I sit at the start of 2021 unsure of what, if anything, I should plan for. I've enjoyed my year, well my past 4 years or so, of riding, running, swimming, lifting, moving without any particular goal in mind. Last year I was planning to start racing again, at bare minimum I was going to race an offroad triathlon in Arizona in June with some friends who were coming down from Denver. It was to serve doubly as a fun weekend with friends and a reason to start training in some fashion. I like to shift between aimless do what I want moving through the world and focused training and I'd spent so many years in aimless mode. I was feeling fit and feisty and ready to think about racing, even contemplating Nationals in the fall, maybe even the horrific Beaver Creek Regionals which I love/hate but mostly hate. I was surprisingly not that disappointed when all of it was cancelled. My friends still came down to visit and we had a great weekend of riding though they stayed elsewhere so it wasn't quite normal. I love having people visit and stay here, that's been one of the hardest things for me. At least outdoor small group activities seem reasonably safe. I enjoyed socially distanced group rides all summer and fall.

I see some Xterras opening registration - one is supposedly happening in Arizona in February - but I remain skeptical they'll actually happen. I've also seen bands selling tickets for shows as soon as April. I just can't imagine things being back to normal by then. As of now, regular folks aren't due to get vaccinated in Colorado until summer. And summer is a pretty big window of time. Should I think about Xterra Nationals in September? Or enjoy another year of wandering? I know, we're all in the same boat with whatever our passion is. Never mind the folks unsure about their businesses and jobs. I realize how stupid and tone deaf this sounds in light of that. I'm not complaining or lamenting, just kinda wondering aloud. Will be interesting to read this post come summer to see how things turn out.

Yesterday was a break from the snow biking with some desert-y goodness.

Today is a well earned rest day. I had a nice wander around my pasture, a dog walk and some sweaty goodness in the sauna. And I got mobbed by chickens. I'm always getting mobbed by chickens.

We'll likely get some baby chicks this spring. I was surprised Jonny was up for it. I was mentally constructing a case for them complete with Exhibits but he suggested it. It's a good time since we're not tempted to go anywhere. Not that I'm tempted to go anywhere anyway. I finally made it a full calendar year without getting on an airplane for the first time since 1990. I made it 12 months last year but had to go to Ann Arbor in September when my aunt went into hospice. I swore it would be the last time I'd get on a plane. I suspect many frequent travelers will also be able to say they made it the whole year without getting on a plane but none will be as happy about it as me. 

Time to chill out in front of the fire with a Ruby in my lap and some nice synth-y music of some sort on the headphones.