Biking in a dress (or, things that make you feel sexy)

This is just a random fluff observation. But the other day — a warm, perfect, neverending evening that feels like you can just swim through it forever, the best kind of Northwest evening — I put on a short and summery dress to go to an event.

And then I put on my Sidi bike shoes, mountain biking shoes that I believe are called “Dominator,” shoes that clip into my pedals and that are black and aggressive and perfect.

*

I have no makeup and I don’t know how to “do” my hair and I haven’t shaved my legs in over 7 years. But riding through Portland on my fits-me-perfectly bicycle in my helmet and my summery dress and my bike shoes, getting exactly where I wanted to go exactly how I wanted to go there, I thought: there is nothing in this world that could make me feel sexier than I do right now.

And after my event, when I biked up and down Mt Tabor over and over because the sun was still up and the birds were still out and the evening was going on and on and I couldn’t bear to go inside yet, I thought: I may not be conventionally beautiful and I may not ever be on the cover of any magazines but wearing a dress and powering myself up this hill on legs that are strong and capable with lungs that feel like they were made for this is the most beautiful thing in the world.

And it was perfect.