Past and future collide

We're staying in Ithaca tonight. While biking today I've been describing to my fellow riders some of the neat things to see in Ithaca - the gorges, the parks, the restaurants. Robin went to massage school here in 1999 and she and I spent a great deal of the summer exploring the area.

It really doesn’t dawn on me that this is going to be another "year of firsts" experiences until we bike into town and enter the first park. My mind goes kind of numb as we bike over to the swimming area. See how neat it is here? Hey, I think, Robin and I spent a lot of time here…

After a brief stop we're biking again, right into the heart of downtown. Hey, I've been to that store, I've been to that restaurant. So far the numbness holds up.

Hey, I thought this bike vacation was going to take me away from all those thoughts? What am I doing here?

We finish the ride at the local school and my mind kind of spins with memories. On the massage table things finally catch up to me as I try to talk about it and tears start rolling down my cheeks. Heidi (the massage therapist) asks if there's something I want to say and I say "I'm trying, but it's just not coming out yet."

It takes a minute and then comes out in fits and starts about massage school and summers in Ithaca. Heidi asks if I want to drive over to see the Finger Lakes School of Massage. Nope - I never spent much time at the school personally. Here in the city we're in the middle of the memories, plus I'm getting massage which probably just amplifies things.