look up, look back, look around

The only thing better than a night ride on a motorcycle is a night ride on a motorcycle with a pretty girl on the back. Well, not just any pretty girl. Tonight, Al and I left the kids in charge of themselves for a little while and took the looooong route to the pharmacy. We rode way out into the country away from lights and saw a spectacular, clear sky. We just sat on the bike tangled and craned our necks upward like we used to do on the back patio of the admin building in college. In the daytime the view was breathtaking overlooking the tiny town down below laid out on either side of the river, connected by a long covered bridge. In the mornings, the entire valley would be filled with fog and it would look like you could step off the balcony and walk directly across to the ridge poking through on the other side of the valley. At night, big sky from the top of the mountain.
Back then we'd stand there and bask in the moment and dream of the future. Now we can remember and bask and dream of the future. We can dream that this moment lasts. We can dream of remembering in the future.
We rode home through mist in the crisp October air, something we dreamed of way back then. You could smell the changing season. A reminder that time passes. Soon the hills will burst with yellow and orange and red. Yes, sad to see summer go, but the promise that there's always something new around the corner makes each sensation a little bit stronger.