The {Great Outside}, The Great Indoors

“Hey Siri, what is the temperature outside?”

“Good morning, Josh. It is currently 52 degrees. Today’s high will be 65 degrees. Have a great day!”

A glorious day like today beckons for a bike ride to help break from the monotony of mundane chores.

I made a to-do list on my phone, hopped on my bike, and rode through town. I picked the Outdoorsman Trail route, riding through a picturesque forest and past a field glowing with morning dew. Thanks to my new riding habits, nature, along with my lack of fitness, constantly took my breath away.

Earth has so many problems, with global warming and the plastic island, the deteriorating ozone layer and deforestation, that I took pride in reducing my carbon footprint with my bike. There’d be one less car on the road from now on, as I could go anywhere on my two wheels.

After 10 miles of unfettered vistas, I unclipped and pulled up the shopping list I’d made for the day.

The first stop was Whole Foods, where I quickly knocked everything off the list and into my cart, a modern day Supermarket Sweep champion. Remember that show? I couldn’t even remember the last time I saw someone running around a grocery store like they did. How times had changed…

I still had over an hour until a meetup with my best friends, so I was going to have to crank out this next set of miles.

This time, I rode along the sea, waves peacefully lapping at the shore. There wasn’t any traffic; just a perfectly empty road, curated with the sounds of gulls ands waves. My mind must have been transported, as the generic road signs flew by, because I was startled when my Apple Watch buzzed! It was almost noon!

I pedaled harder, leaving the seat for the final sprint.

With another 10 mile interval completed, I unclipped again for a quick breather. The best days were always about the journey, not the destination. I called up my day-planner in iCal, which reminded me of an upcoming work presentation. I needed a new white button-down because my old one hung off me since I’d begun cycling. I wasn’t sure what my new size was, but did not have time for a proper measurement, so I threw a few options in my cart, and checked out.

I wanted my last ride to be different than the previous two, but wasn’t sure what kind of options I’d left myself.

I picked the hilly ride for my final 10 miles, zooming through rolling hills on a route I had never chosen before. The unfamiliar path was so zen, no wonder it had a five-star rating. I would have to bookmark and revisit this one!

Thank goodness for my new Peloton, which really lets me explore the great outdoors in all its splendor. We were promised jetpacks and flying cars but who wants all that danger and uncertainty? My Peloton gives me a front row seat to the outside world without the dangerous UV rays, allergens, and the annoying wind! Don’t even get me started about how useless and awful the wind is.

The doorbell rang and by the time I opened the door, the Amazon drone was three houses down. My groceries and dress shirts lay at my feet. There was no time for a shower, but I doubted my friends would really care. I rolled my Peloton into the corner and fired up my Facebook Portal, where Danny, Petey, and Rog were already chit-chatting.

“Hey fellas, sorry I’m a bit late. What an unbelievable day out there, huh?”