Dear Grandpa,
Thank you so much for the beautiful bike! I’m calling her PJ since she’s got a Panama Jack design. :) It was such a lovely and thoughtful gift.
Honestly, I never would have asked for a bike, as it never occurred to me that I might like one. But from the moment you presented it to me, I was in love. And the moment I sat on the seat and took off pedaling (thank goodness that it’s true, “you never forget how to ride a bike,” as I haven’t ridden one since I was ten!) was one of the happiest moments of my life. It felt like freedom, and I told Dennis, “Everyone needs a bike so when they are feeling crummy and oppressed, they can just take off riding to remind themselves what it feels like to be completely free and happy.”
I’m now addicted to the feeling of freedom I get each time I jump on PJ and take off, and to the sore and healthy feeling I have every time I come home from a long ride. At first I was embarrassed to go out in public in daylight, afraid that I would make a fool of myself by falling off, especially since it has been so long since I regularly rode a bicycle. But since Dennis has a bike now too, thanks to you (your generosity is so appreciated!), he has helped me overcome my phobia, and yesterday we took an hour long bike ride along the river to the library, which included time in front of people and traffic.
I’m happy to report I didn’t fall off or embarrass myself, except for when we were going up a steep hill to the bridge to cross the river and I couldn’t make it and had to walk the bike up the last bit. Unfortunately for me, there was a large crowd on the bridge, as the Riverfest is going on this week, but only a few people were staring at my ineptitude, as most were watching the jet ski racers on the river.
We ride our bikes most every day, and I think we’ve only missed riding them for a couple days out of the last two weeks since you gifted them to us. I wanted you to know how much we appreciate the gifts, and that we did buy helmets right away, so you don’t have to worry about us getting injured. We will treasure them until they bite the dust, which hopefully won’t be for many more years, as they have sentimental value coming from you and I hope I never have to replace them.
Looking forward to your next trip to Wichita!
Love,
Veronica
Veronica's Cornucopia 