Nothing in particular

Announcement: I've decided to stop riding bikes!

April Fools! Now back to our irregular, unscheduled program:

Years ago I asked if someone could qualify the difference between contentment and settling. We both thought it a pretty good question. The prior is often praised as an ideal, but the latter much less so. Monday I enjoyed an especially pleasant day, but there was nothing in particular that was exceptional. It was just right, nice. I was content, really content.

Guess what, it included riding a bike! I had a couple items to return to the Belchertown library, so I headed in the opposite direction, toward Chicopee, running a few errands. Those happened, as errands do, no hitches, and as a bonus, I remembered one additional one at just the right times. No, not a big deal, but it was a good thing. And from there, I used one of my favorite area connections, cutting through trails of the Chicopee State Park, stopping to munch a little lunch overlooking the lake, and despite an unleashed dog trying to help me with that, it was quite pleasant.

A couple months ago, Patti Smith very, very belatedly entered my awareness as one of the original punks, and I'd checked a couple libraries for copies of her music that was always checked out. On the opposite side of the state park was Ludlow, and their library, and three Patti Smith albums. Good, perfectly good, and as an extra, I took one of their book-on-CD discards, an overview of the US constitution and how it, allegedly, controls the presidency.

By that time it was mid afternoon, and I found myself debating if timing dictated skipping the returns to Belchertown. Daylight savings time combined with spring meant there was plenty of daylight to complete my intended trip, but I still have the self preservation preference to be off the streets during peak commuter times. Decision time for picking my route comes just a few miles north of the library, but half way there is a frequency highly frequented four way stop. Thanks to Audrey Tautou's character in A Very Long Engagement, I've become a fan of making choices based on inputs from random events in the environment, so I decided, if I needed to wait behind a car at the stop, I'd head home directly, but arriving at the sign solo would have me loop through Belchertown.

Ok, that stimulus isn't entirely random. More cars would mean it was an even better choice to exit the roads before there were even more more-cars. It was close, but the vehicle that passed me shortly before pulled away just in time for me to roll up to the stop line unobstructed! Ok, Belchertown it is. Best of all, even the Google Maps bicycle directions know about using the paved pathway along the Ludlow Reservoir, which is closed to car traffic, but was full of people enjoying a lovely walk on a lovely day. Misery loves company, but joy doesn't mind it at all either.

See, lovely!

A bit more just right riding, my quick drop-off at the library, and I even made a final stop at the market in town before dropping down the hill to home. Nothing exceptional, I was just nicely content as I settled back into my settlement, spot on 5pm! Let the commuting begin!

It seems Belchertown is my place

 for finding matching gloves on separate days.

This pair was last week,

 but they were on the line Monday!