Thanksgiving (...and how Shelby is my best friend)

Lovelybicycle has issued a Thanksgiving challenge to encourage grateful notes to our steeds.  I wrote about Shelby, my 1948 Shelby Supreme, because she came into my life exactly when I needed her.  I will write about her discovery soon (as soon as I get her set up for glamour shots!), but until then, here's my letter to her.

Dear Shelby,

How did you manage to call to me, a young southern girl who hadn't ridden a bike since she was a child?   How did you convince me to take on the challenges of a vintage bike with no bicycle knowledge?  Perhaps it was your understated beauty, with faded blue and red paint.  Maybe it was the rust pantina on your full metal fenders, or the flower shape of your crank.  But you knew I needed you; I needed your life lessons.

You're sixty-two years young, and your patience knows no bounds.  When I took you apart as a bicycle novice, you did not quiver.  When I felt lost after a hard day at a new job, you let the wind fly through my hair.  When I wanted to back out of a new party, you gently urged me onward.

You introduced me to new friends, new hobbies, new life.

Thank you for your wisdom: for teaching me to be brave on the streets, for giving me strength as a young woman alone in a new city, for showing me simple joy when life seemed dark.

Thank you Shelby, for being my best friend.  You have brought so much happiness to my new life.  I sincerely can't imagine what my life would be like without you.