Hope smiles from the threshold of the year to come, whispering, 'It will be happier.' (Alfred Lord Tennyson)

Al and I go for bike rides four days a week. It used to be a convenient routine that kept us in shape. These days it's a mental health necessity. We're out of the condo. (Yeah!) We're soaking up some sunshine. (Yeah!) We're stretching our muscles. (Yeah!) We're seeing in the real world people. (Yeah!)

I headed out on our Easter Sunday ride feeling irritable, disjointed, and down-in-the-dumps. I was missing my friends. I was missing the stops for coffee on bike rides. I was missing seeing people without masks.

Then I chanced upon a family out on their bikes. Mom. Dad. A boy about 10 years old. And a little girl about 5 years old on a pink princess bike. The little girl had decorated her bike. And I mean decorated it. Flowers. Lots of ribbons and bows. Pinwheels. Her little bike basket was filled with Easter basket cellophane grass and big candy eggs. Something that might have been a pink stuffed bunny was tied to the back of her bike seat. I mean, the little princess bike absolutely twinkled. It was magical.

Seeing that little girl made me smile. My mood picked up. Things weren't so bad after all.

Happier times wait ahead.