I woke up before the sun, ate a quick breakfast, then left with a sunrise that may have cleared the horizon, but never cleared the clouds. It was actually quite chilly, and I was certainly underdressed for the weather. The traffic was almost as light as the rain - I saw a half-dozen cars, and felt as many raindrops.
It was the kind of intermittent rain that doesn't really get you wet, but makes sure you know that it could if it so chose. There was tremendous impetus to move quickly; to beat the storm that never came. I pushed harder than I would have liked.
I was in a mental zone, focusing only a few yards in front of my tire. That, coupled with my morning sleepiness, made me safely oblivious to much of my surroundings. This was okay - the landscape around me was dreary and hazy, and there wasn't much to look at anyway. I coasted a few miles like this, unbothered by traffic or anything.
Then a thing happened to break my moment of zen. I heard a very close, yet very small noise that sounded nothing like a drunk man arguing about NASCAR. I looked down and there was a clumsy baby goat, attempting to run with me.
It was apparent to me that the thing wouldn't be able to keep up. He was too little, and he clearly had no idea how his four legs were meant to work together. I slowed significantly to indulge the little guy. He was determined to move in a straight line, but his legs were all working furiously in different directions. Twice, this caused him to fall completely. It was like watching the 2008 New York Knicks, except that this little goat was cute in exactly the way that Zach Randolph isn't.
Finally, I had to leave the little guy behind. It was a Sunday, and we couldn't postpone church for a clumsy goat. He chased valiantly as I built my cadence - it was certainly the cutest pursuit I've ever been a part of. At last, his limbs confused themselves and he tumbled into an awkward somersault before collapsing in a heap of tired goat.
Maybe next time, baby goat.
3 comments:
So now you decide that the goat chasing you was cute... I would like to hope I had some influence in this decision.
So you don't like being chased by women or cute goats?! Hmmmm
It's been years since I've ridden a bike, but I recall being chased by large, ferocious dogs on many occasions. I was also chased by enraged older kids. To my knowledge, this is the first goat attack I've read about.
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