Biking in the rain

Mama had a string of bad luck on her new biking plan--her attempt to be like the Roommates. See, the Roommates bike everywhere, and it has always seemed to Mama like a great idea for a million reasons--or at least two--mainly exercise and carbon credits.  Anyway, Mama has vowed to bike to her placement this year at least until it starts to snow.  I don't know if you know anything about Mama's vows, but they aren't worth all that much.  Unlike the Roommates--and, it seems, Ari--Mama is a wimp.  Mama really isn't the grimly determined type.  At any rate, Mama biked back and forth to her placement on Friday with no problems, feeling--Mama admits it--kinda smug.  But today, Mama biked to her placement and arrived all sweaty in her T-shirt and felt self-conscious until she went to change.  It was anxiety provoking.  Then, it turned out Mama was going for a training in another building, so Mama had to bike to the other location in the rain.  As it rained, she told herself it didn't matter, but the truth is, Mama did not like getting her new clothes--in particular, a linen shirt that Liz gave her that she loves and a silk shirt that Rachel gave her that she loves--all wet.  Then it turned out that Mama wasn't eligible to take that training because she had missed the previous training on a day she was not in at the placement and so would not understand the material at this one.  Meanwhile, the rain turned into a downpour. Mama had to bike back to her placement in the downpour--back up the hill--noticing over and over that she was wet and that the sensation was not pleasant.  She arrived looking like a wet cat.  Not a good look for Mama.  Mama squelched through the corridors emitting squeaks against the institutional floors.  She noticed lots of thoughts, including, "I hate biking."

On the ride home, her pants--despite being tucked geekily into her socks--got ripped.  Mama loves these pants, which she bought second hand at Abby's in Waltham with Jeanne--and then Mama felt truly grumpy.  Then when she got home the dog jumped on her and got footprints on the silk shirt and she noticed that there was a coffee stain on it too!  OK, that had nothing to do with the bike.  But it didn't help the mood.

Typing all this up, though, Mama realizes she still is committed to biking whenever she can.  Global warming or wet clothes--which is worse?  One is impermanent--the other....