The Highs and Lows of Being Human

Most of the time, this blog has been dedicated to the good things in our life. However, today's entry will be filled with a mix of emotions as yesterday was in many ways a good day and an equally bad day. Too often, people stray away from discussing/dealing with the more painful side of being human, but I believe it is healing to work through the full range of human emotion.

"Oh Brother, How art thou?"

My brother is my rock. He's a relatively laid-back dude with a keen sense of dorky humor who always reminds me that he's a big brother and I'm still the little sister. Even with my Doctoral degree in hand, I still get no respect. I am called, "Dr. Frina Tater-head." At least, I get the correct salutation. During my divorce, he never invaded 'my space' but stood quietly still if I needed him. As kids, we devoted ourselves to playing ping-pong on Friday nights, taco night when mom had classes, and board games on snow days. As we got older, Chris drove us back and forth to high school and in a typical school day fashion, we were always rushing around and I would be putting on make-up in the car as he would jokingly swerve the car forcing me to lose my grip on my lipstick and run it across my face.

Yesterday, though, I received a phone call from my mom during our mountain bike at Shidagin Hollow, near Ithaca. Usually, when mom calls during a ride, I'll say, "Let me call you back when we're done...." as I was about to say this, mom says, "You need to listen then....your brother was in a car accident and is being taken to the hospital." My brother and family were in Indianapolis for a weekend wedding. My brother was in the wedding party and during their ride to take pictures prior to the wedding, their limo was struck by a SUV at an intersection. The limo flipped on its side. Chris recalls the incident with, "...people were flying like rag dolls." Chris sustained a bruised lung and several broken ribs and the guy sitting beside my bro, died. Chris recounts that upon entering the limo, Chris and the guy who passed away offered to switch seats but Chris' knees were sore and therefore Chris decided to stay where he was. After Chris told me this and I hung up the phone, I cried like a baby.....I kept thinking, "What if, what if...." So, Chris if you read this, you are lucky and I love you! My best friend, Christina says, "You need to go play the lotto!" Jeff says, "Chris, you're just like a Timex -- you take a lickin' and keep on tickin'..."

Here's the link to the AP news story about the accident.

Chris' healing will take weeks and he will be off work for a while. I will keep tabs on him, but everyone needs to send him some good vibes.





"Country Roads"

Yesterday, the Jeffina headed to Shidagin Hollow with good friend, Paul from Endicott, to ride the trails. I have never been to Shidagin Hollow and for Jeff, it has been at least seven years. Shidagin Hollow is located near Ithaca and surrounded by beautiful, rolling hillsides. The air was heavy due to the rain from the night before but we set out to check out the trails. For me, I love new trails and I loved the adventure. On new trails, I can be somewhat cautious, but I found the trails to be well-marked, well-maintained, and to have great flow. We saw a few other mountain bikers who were also enjoying the day. From time to time, Paul gave us some historical background about the area, so not only were we doing something good for our bodies, but also with our minds. We rode for not quite 3 hours and agreed that we must return soon.

Afterwards, Jeff and I headed into Ithaca to eat at one of our favorite Mexican restaurants located next to the Commons area. To our surprise, the annual Ithaca Fest was going on and we were greeted by throngs of people. For anyone who has never been to Ithaca, imagine a city, home to Cornell University where some of the greatest thinkers in the world reside, yet mixed with an eclectic hippie community who resist the mainstream. As you might expect, the diversity makes this city a wonderful place to visit. The Jeffina are not fans of large crowds, but we did find a trio of performers, off the main path, performing under an awning. We stopped to take in the sounds and decided it was time to head home.

Right now, life is good for me. I am eating well, sleeping well (except for last night), and enjoying my garden. The riding is coming along and each day, I must care for my back.

Enjoy the photos of the day.

Together, we are the Jeffina, crankin' out the miles, crankin' out the love for Crankskins.com.