September–December 2017: Our home was quiet. Two of three children had headed off to college and our youngest daughter, Rachel, was a senior in high school with all of our unwanted attention seemingly focused on her. The dinner table discussions seemed endless: How are the college apps coming along? Have you studied today for the ACTs? Edited your supplemental essays? For light fodder, we discussed how it felt to captain a finally-strong city league girls soccer team, when would the car be available, what was for dinner, and how late could she hang out with her friends knowing school work, cup soccer, and other college-related tasks loomed.
Although things were right on schedule – meaning the college apps were submitted and acceptances were beginning to arrive – our house needed something more fun that was neither divisive nor negotiated. Something not simply focused on the pressing tasks at hand.
January 2018: We boarded the megabus for a family trip to New York over MLK weekend and Rachel decided we needed to try a cycling class … twice! I naively took a sidebar seat so I could see the instructor, not realizing that I would be in full view of the class while on my own pathetic beat. Amazingly we went back on day 2 – And, we loved it! We were intrigued, sweaty, and invigorated.
February 22, 2018: And then it happened here in Pittsburgh … Zenergy Cycling opened and we took our first class. Although we were both daily exercisers, I needed to shake up my exercise routine; it was a bit boring. We had known one of the instructors from when she was in pre-school and we quickly met the others and the awesome Zenergy staff. We were hooked … Mother and daughter in the front row … regularly!
March–August 2018: Our evening schedules, family dinners, and weekend mornings began to revolve around bikes 5 and 6. We had something special going on … not just among ourselves but with the many friendly faces at Zenergy … We rode, chatted, sweated, and smiled together. We were the first mother-daughter team to sign the Pittsburgh wall at 50 rides … we were together for my 100th … it was our special thing – Us and our Zenergy family.
September 2018: Drop-off at college went well. But my first weekend home was bittersweet … There were other parents in the class whose kids also were freshmen in college, but none of them was sitting on bike 5 with bike 6 empty … It’s been a great ride – and I can’t wait for winter break when Rachel is back cycling next to me!
Thank you Zenergy family for being with us so Rachel and I could cycle together – but even more importantly, thank you for being with me while we are apart!
– Jane and Rachel Rollman
Have an idea for a ZenBlog?! Email alyssakogel@zenergycycling.com