Thanks for your thoughts. Actually when XH and I were courting initially he hinted that he was interested and then I initiated and moved our R a couple notches forward.........XH initiated the "lets move in together" step. After 2 1/2 years of bliss together I made it clear that I really wanted the type of commitment that comes with M and then gave XH time and room to decide if he wanted to propose M. .....so I guess we've gone back and forth on leading in the R in the past. We are both independent, self-sufficient people and always respected one another, so this back and forth seemed to work.....My gut instinct in this situation is that I need to wait for XH to initiate but that I need to give him subtle validation and reinforcement as he does so.
Regarding your biking, here's a few hints that might make the experience more fun for you. I am no expert so I'm sure there are others who can give you good pointers. I don't know what your current level of knowledge is so I hope you won't take offense at some of my simple suggestions.
--make sure that you take adequate fluids and snacks with you for your ride. If you don't have enough energy for your ride it won't be fun. --have your bike tuned up. In my area bike shops charge anywhere from $40-$90 for a tune up. If your chain is really dirty it's hard to ride. If you don't want to spend money on a tune up, at least lubricate your chain, gears, and wheels. --how many gears does your bike have? My new bike has 30 gears whereas my old one had 21. Those extra lower gears have made it much easier to climb hills than before! So much more fun! ....and if you don't have a lot of gears, you can have a bike shop change out your gear set to increase the number of gears. This may be a bit spendy, but it may be cheaper than buying a new bike --pedals with toe-clips or clip-in pedals give you more power with each stroke. This gives you a more efficient and powerful ride and helps you to save energy to pedaling......these can be tricky on hills though.
CW, if you start talking to bike shops in the area about some of these things you will have some new topics to ask H advice about when you see him.......or maybe don't ask H advice.......just let him see hints of your "new hobby" and let HIM initiate questions. Do you wear black spandex bike pants when you bike? Imagine how surprised H would be to see a pair of those lying around the house next time he stops by? Just a thought.
