At 7:40 this morning, I began a bike ride on the Perkiomen Trail. Today was the first day of school and 7:40 is when Mod 1 begins. I thought I would make the day symbolic since this is the first opening day I will not be present for in the last 100 years. Or so.
I wanted the ride to be a sort of shaman’s journey in a Jungian sense. Disciples of Carl Jung administered symbolic journeys that revealed reactions to archetypes. For example, how you describe a trip through the woods might reveal what you think about your life.
I observed on the bike ride. I’ll interpret later.
First of all, the parking lot was COMPLETELY empty. That was a new experience.
(Oh-oh, this not looking good symbolically.)
The trail was deserted also, as far as I could see, when I started my ride. But that has happened before. As a matter of fact, I like it that way.
I crossed a wooden bridge over the calm, but deeper-than-normal creek. At the end of the bridge were two piles of horse manure.
(This should be good.)
I finally passed someone heading the other way on a bike. We did the male-nod at each other. His bike was much bigger than mine–a motorcycle minus the motor.
(Thank God this is not Freudian!)
Eventually, I passed an older couple, a young jogger, a man who was straining to hold back a pit bull before he ate my bike.
I almost wiped out in a sandy portion of the trail, I crossed another bridge with calm water, and I attacked THE hill on the trail. I made it about halfway. My respiration went to Code Red. I turned around and headed back to my starting point.
(Every uphill has a downhill. Unless you die.)
I re-passed some of the same people, but they were now coming toward me. The unmotorcycle guy told me to “Have a nice day”. A female jogger ignored me, refusing eye contact.
(I can interpret that right now–it was a metaphor for my effect on women!)
A female on a bike passed me without warning me she was on my left.
Past the manure piles again and back to the parking lot which now held six cars.
By the time I was back in my car, most of Mod 1 was over and my retirement was a little more real.
WWJS–What would Jung say?
The Q-View 