(Kasia and Célia)

***

Have I mentioned that I love watching the Tour de France Femmes?  Well, I do.

Yesterday was Stage Eight of nine.  Demi Vollering of the FDJ United-Suez team was being “led out” by her teammate Célia Gery.  So Célia was going as fast as she could at the front, cutting the wind for Demi.  Then Célia slowed and moved to the side, letting Demi burst into the lead.

Célia’s move to the right cut off a fast approaching Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney of the Canyon/SRAM team, forcing her against the barrier.  Kasia lost momentum.

At the end of the race, Kasia was furious with Célia, convinced that she had blocked her on purpose.  The race judges reviewed videos of the incident from various angles … and found no fault in Célia’s action.  My conclusion: Célia didn’t see Kasia coming.

***

I don’t know about the minds of Kasia and Célia.  I just know mine.

I can’t imagine me doing something on purpose to hurt someone.  I can imagine me not being attentive, or forgetting … and my action or the lack of it diminishes the well-being of another person.

But I know this: I couldn’t sleep at night if I’m mean, if my integrity is impure.  No chance.  Plus the broad span of Bruce would compress into a tiny space.  A steel ball in my stomach.

And the end result?

Very little of me would be available to you

That’s not what I want my life to be

***

Célia and Kasia … I hope you forgive each other