journal features

the broken spoke

the journal of Michael Werneburg

twenty-eight years and a million words

Toronto, 2018.05.09

A spoke broke on Friday; when I got it fixed, the mechanics told me the problem was "too much weight". Now, it happened as I was cruising down our street during the wind storm. But it seems to have happened due to my sedentary lifestyle during this long cold and snowy winter.

But, it was prepared for free due to the wheel being less than three weeks old. A silver lining. And a silver spoke on a black wheel; the fellow suggested that I keep track of the replacement by using a silver spoke. I suspect he didn't have - or didn't want to part with - a black spoke.

rand()m quote

If I had my life to live over, I'd try to make more mistakes next time. I would relax, I would limber up, I would be crazier than I've been on this trip. I know very few things I'd take seriously any more. I'd certainly be less hygenic... I would take more chances, I would take more trips, I would scale more mountains, I would swim more rivers, and I would watch more sunsets. I would eat more ice cream and fewer beans. I would have more actual troubles and fewer imaginary ones. Oh, I've had my moments, and if I had to do it all over again, I'd have many more of them, in fact I'd try not to have anything else, just moments, one after another, instead of living so many years ahead of my day. If I had it to do all over again, I'd travel lighter, much lighter than I have. I would start barefoot earlier in the spring, and I'd stay that way later in the fall. And I would ride more merry-go-rounds, and catch more gold rings, and greet more people and pick more flowers and dance more often. If I had it to do all over again - but you see, I don't.

—Jorge Luis Borges