My friend

Whenever I go for a ride, there's always the possibility that my friend will show up to ride with me.  I don't invite him, but he has a habit of showing up anyway.  He'll also come running on occasion, or even show up when I'm at work, or at home, or  even asleep.  It's always uninvited of course.  Most of the time, having him with me on rides is just a minor nuisance, although he does slow me down.  Sometimes though, it's good to have him along, as he pushes me and I feel like I'm flying along.  But today.  Well today, my first ride in about 5-6 weeks, and my friend decided to tag along with a vengeance.  Uninvited of course!
It is rare to have my friend ride with me the whole time.  He usually rides only a portion of the route which is okay.  The part that he is with me however, is very taxing.  When we ride together, he is always getting in my face.  He's really noisy too, and sometimes I feel that  I can hardly hear myself think.   Yesterday, he was the absolute worst.  Jabbering on for miles at a time, slowing me down without the slightest consideration.  Once or twice I even wanted to quit riding, and just go hide from him inside somewhere.  But I knew if I tried to ditch him like that, the second I got back out on my bike, he'd be right there waiting to join me again. He seems to always know where I'm going to be.
Now it may sound to you like my friend is more like an enemy given all the negatives that I have stated about him.  And while I must admit, I'd rather not have him along on most of my rides, I've come to realize that he's just going to be there sometimes.  As I mentioned before, I know that he makes me a better rider, and if I've ridden with him several times, and then he doesn't show up, the joy I find in riding is unmatched.  The truth is, my friend makes me tougher, and though I don't really like him, I have to respect what he does for me.
Despite the difficulty he caused me yesterday on my ride, I do plan on heading out the door for another ride this morning.  I keep peering out the window to see if he's waiting for me.  At times I think I spot him near the bushes or the trees, just waiting for me to come out.  But what can I do?  I'm not going to hide inside forever.  All I can hope is that if  he rides with me, he'll just be a little more mellow today.  But if he isn't, then I just have to remember that he's helping me to get better.
Happy riding everyone!