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It's been a few weeks since I've ridden my bike. Maybe even a month. Time is getting harder to tell. Or maybe I'm just not paying attention to something so trivial.
Sometimes it's so easy to catch the bus, chill for 25 minutes and catch up with my emails and social media accounts. Maybe even plan my budget, shopping list, to do list or goals for the week. I can't do that if I ride in.
When I woke up this morning at six am, I checked the latest updates for COVID-19 on the credible Worldometers.info website. Sometimes, I wonder why I bother.
I looked at France's overnight statistics and noticed they've potentially broken a record overnight with 1355 deaths. It's absolutely heartbreaking. That's 1.23 times the number of students who attended my high school. Dead. Overnight.
Just when things were starting to look more stable in that part of the world.
A lot of statistics seemed to have jumped up overnight, especially with the rate of deaths. Even the United Kingdom's spike, which was 41% of France's statistics, is quite significant.
My heart especially goes out to Italy and Spain, who appear to be experiencing the full effects of this, 'invisible war.' Approximately 11.3% of Italians and 14.2% of Spaniards are aged 75 years or older. So far to date, the COVID-19 is reported to have claimed the lives of 21.9% of the world's population aged 80 or older. Perhaps that's why they're suffering so much.
America's situation is also nothing short of devastating, with 29,874 new cases recorded overnight! With or without considering they have an estimated population of 330,539,840, which equates to approximately 4.3% of the world's population.
Interestingly, whilst approximately 18.47% of the world's population lives in China, they've only experienced 29.4% of the total cases and 44.93% of the total deaths recorded for COVID-19 in America so far.
It's too hard to get up. I hit the snooze button for another 45 minutes, unable to get my head around such horrible information so early in the morning.
My beloved warm furball Roadie appears happy with my decision and plops herself back down against me. She is the love of my life and makes everything feel okay. No matter what's happening in this bat-shit crazy world.
At least until I have to get up.
Perhaps Roadie feels the same today, which would explain why her head was resting on my arm, preventing me from moving.
I check Messenger and see a message from my mate, who last night told me he'd be happy to lend me his awesome 4k camera. He said he was on his way to work but had forgotten to grab it, so it'll be next week.
Last night, I'd thought about riding into work today and it stayed on my mind whilst I was trying to sleep.
Which is probably not a good idea.
Just the thought alone, causes my adrenaline to course through my veins and pump my heart rate up.
Now that my mate wasn't able to lend me his camera today, it meant that I could ride in. I had no excuse. Not even the lowly 5 hours and 13 minutes of sleep could stop me!
I jumped out of bed.
As if my mattress had somehow sparked some life into my fatigued body.
For the next one hour and 15 minutes, I rushed around getting ready for work. Rushing because I couldn't bear the idea of going to work, let alone be bothered, when my mind was traumatised by the sky rocketing rate of death experienced by France and the other severely-affected countries. Despite how privileged I am to have job security and not be affected by a slumping economy with it's resulting high unemployment rate.
Especially in the United States.
It always amazes me that even with a break from riding, I somehow always seem to maintain my fitness and stamina. Even my metre-high jumps off the kerbs continues to be fairly consistent.
Riding was certainly a good choice!
Burning off my anger and negative thoughts with every pedal and jump.
Replacing the toxins in my body, with lungs full of fresh morning air.
Endorphins flushing out weeks of accumulated anguish and pain, stored in my head like cobwebs. Rushing down through my body, which suddenly feels so alive with the triggered positive feelings that is sure to last the day. Especially if I can distract my mind from the tragedies and devastation facing the world today.
I reach work.
Slightly panting, as the adrenaline starts to subside.
A little worn out but sure to recover within the next few hours.
I feel so much better.
Another positive to counteract the negative. An addition to replace the subtraction.
