Do you ever get the feeling that the universe, The Universe, is trying to tell you something? My bicycle has developed an occasional tendency to lean, and no one can figure out why. My knee is getting worked on, but the real work starts in about a month. My car is in the shop, not yet, but will be. What should I do, stay at home to garden, weed, cook, and read?

But it’s sunny out and the weekend is coming! It’s in the 60s! (The 60s seeming warm is a sign of Spring. In Autumn that may seem cool.) Sigh.

It is easy to assume mobility is a given, until it isn’t. 

I’m in the enviable position that I am finally retiring into retirement. I still have books and photos to produce, and volunteer work to tackle; but, I am also looking at great expanses of gaps in my schedule that are undefined. I have time to do things like hike, bike, travel, and explore that long list of someday-I’m-gonnas. 

Don’t assume it is easy. Some folks see that expanse of options, get overwhelmed and scared, and retreat back to the comfort zone of work. The pay’s good, I hope.

I’m glad I didn’t wait until now to start considering such options. Retiring, at least temporarily, at 38 meant adventures and travel that seemed normal. My body was flexible and recovered quickly. Then there was that messy financial upset. They caught the folks, but the money didn’t return. At least I had a few years of freedom. I think freedom is back again.

(By the way, I applauded then and now my friend who, when he hit 30, bought four sets of airplane tickets, continent to continent, for flights three months apart, then spent a year traveling the world. No reservations except those tickets. After he got back, he figured he could go back to work with stories.)

But then, my bicycle developed a lean. Really? A lean? Yep. A lean. If I looked straight down at the front tire I should just see tire. Instead, I saw pavement through the spokes. The bike seemed to want to be turning right. I got off the bike, checked adjustments, saw the same thing, readjusted stuff, saw the same thing, took it into the shop, and they couldn’t find anything either. It almost feels fine, but it also dumped me into pavement when I tried a U-turn. Go figure. A few bucks to the mechanic, and wonder why it straightened out for a while. I ride it cautiously. 

I like to hike and dance and generally move. I’ll spare you the longer story (though I may write about it later), but the X-rays show that I am hobbling and can only dance in one direction because – take your pick – either over-use, or arthritis, or both. Hiking happens, but slowly and ideally on smooth terrain. Dancing is internally frustrating because I vaguely remember old moves, but can’t do them. I dance, with apologies. The Follows do most of the work, anyway. I’ve had three gel injections, but I suspect the bone-on-bone contact will require resurfacing surgery. 

My car is probably fine, despite the Check Engine light. The mechanics think it and the computer agrees that it is fine, but the Ambient Air Temperature gauge thinks it is 196F outside, so thinks I should get something fixed. I’d drive it with black tape over the display, but that Check Engine Light can cover other issues that also use it. The shop will fix that next week.

So, for this weekend, I’ll timidly bike, dance, and drive. Emphasis on the timidity.

The bike routes are along bus routes, kinda. The knee stuff is manageable as long as I don’t act like it is 55 years old. The car is probably fine, and I have AAA, so I’ll stay on roads with shoulders and in places with cell-phone coverage.

The bike may be old, and could be replaced. The knee surgery won’t be cheap, and Medicare may help. The car is going to cost so much to fix (really? Yea, really.) that I am considering getting a new, or new-ish, car.

Mobility costs.

Or I could stay home. Nah.

Mobility is a necessity for most people. It is a luxury when it becomes discretionary. It isn’t necessarily cheap. Getting places also has a value.

I intend to spend the money and the time to resolve these issues. I’m sure many of you know work-arounds for each. I do too. But I wonder if The Universe is suggesting that I slow down, take it easy, and spend time at home. There’s a meeting then a dance today only 5-ish flat miles from home. I’d ride the bicycle, but my winter (and knee-enabled) weight gain suggest I drive. It’s along a bus route and AAA can get there easily, if necessary. There are things to do this weekend, but I have a yard, and books to write, so I may just stay home.

But I know that I’ll eventually spend thousands of dollars fixing these things, and that puts a value on the results of that mobility. I might just have a drink and ponder that. It’s not like I’ll be driving.