Back in the saddle again

I fell while hiking four weeks ago—caught my toe on a ridiculously small stub of some shrub or other and went down like I'd been sandbagged—and though it felt like every inch of the front of me made contact with the earth at one and the same moment, my right knee apparently struck a millisecond or two ahead of the rest. Diagnosis: a bruise behind my kneecap that has kept me off my bicycle ever since.

Until today. Today I rode again—not far, just to the Co-op and then took the long way home—but after four weeks of not riding, just being on the bike for that short time was exhilarating. The sore knee has kept me from riding, from doing any brisk walking, from doing much of any exercise of any kind. Not being able to do those things put me into a serious decline; been feeling quasi-blue and shut in. I'm not a rabid athlete by anyone's definition, but the lack of exercise, of being outside and breathing deeply, was beginning to wear on me. (Among other things, this blog has suffered from my lack of energy/motivation.)

So I'm keeping my fingers crossed that even though my knee is still sore to the touch, I'll be able to ride like I did today—easily and (relatively) pain free. I can cocoon only so long.