Fear of Fall

This morning, riding into work I was enjoying the crisp air, the warm sunshine, the comforting way that the wind whooshed past me and the beautiful organges and reds the leaves have turned.
It was about the time I got to the Bardeen Quad when I saw the leaf blowers and rakes and UIUC workers happily tending to our meticulously trimmed quad. And wouldn't you know it, leaves COVERED the sidewalk. And not just leaves. There were sticks, pebbles, nuts, etc... all sorts of stuff. And it was about that time that I realized almost muscle in my body had tensed. Was I really afraid of the pile of autumn gloriousness in my way?
Heck yes I was! After falling two weeks ago in a torrential down pour because of a stupid pile of slimey, slick leaves, I'm afraid my bike tires are going to once again slip on the cement. That leaves me with the option of falling, tumbling, rolling, and leaving another not so pretty bruise and endless potential for road rash. What a wimp!
So of course I drove through the pile of stuff. I'll have to admit, I had a second of panic when the edge of my tire hit an acorn and did a little jog on the sidewalk, but I stayed on and endured. I don't really know if that was bravery or stupidity, but I really don't like the idea of being afraid of falling off of my bike. I mean, everyone knows that just me walking has the potential for disaster written all over it. Heck, the first three times I met Nick, I was falling (literally) down my basement stairs.

So now I need to find a way to not be afraid of my bike. I'm thinking that this season isn't the best one to re-teach me that lesson. So once I go home for Thanksgiving, I'm going to return Greenie (Yes, I named my bike.) to the sacred shelter of my garage. And for the duration of the winter I hope it will think about what it's done.
In the meantime I'll be taking some time to convince myself to 1. get a helmet and 2. get back on that horse in the spring.