Change of pace

I spent a lot of time riding around on bicycles of widely varying make, model, and maintenance while on my Big Trip. In Asia, they were mostly one-speed bikes for girls, complete with bells, baskets on the front, and low-crossbars so as to avoid indecency whilst riding around in a skirt. I got a lot of funny looks from young people, who laughed as I rode by on my cute pink bikes, and it was great.
I was never one of those kids that spent hours every day zipping around the neighborhood on my big brother's bike. Heck, I didn't even learn how to ride a bike until I was 11 years old, and I'm still not convinced that I've gotten any better. Nevertheless, one of the things that has changed since returning to Santa Barbara is that I really enjoy biking around town. It's really not that big of a city, yet there are a lot of really interesting and beautiful things to see in it. Just this late afternoon, I went out for a sunset ride at my favorite time of the day, hoping to capture some photographs of the cities landmarks (the courthouse, the Old Mission, etc.) for no reason other than because it was pleasant.
Part of what I learned from my travels is that there are certain things that I want in my life, in order for me to find my greatest contentment. When I gaze into a glass ball, looking for glimpses of my future, here are some of the things I'd like to see:
-every day, weather permitting, I ride a bike from point A to B. Car? What car?
-I've got a labrador retriever. The dog's color (black, yellow, chocolate) isn't important, but my little fur-faced companion is of the short-limbed, block-headed variety. He comes to work with me every day, is a menace to cheese, and demands cuddles from everyone he knows.
-I live, or have lived, in a foreign, non-english speaking, country. Occasionally, old ladies from the neighborhood come by the see if my hair is red naturally, or the result of some chemical perversion.
-I've got another companion, but this one of the two-legged variety. I never call her "my girlfriend", but rather, "my partner" because she and I are a tag-team, a partnership. The words, "Coming home" means, "Coming home to her".
-etc.
So yeah, as time goes on and I experience more things, I come to better understand the lifestyle I want to lead. Maybe the pieces won't all come together at the same time, but for today I'm enjoying the fact that pleasant bike rides are a part of my daily routine.