Last weekend I had one of the best bicycle rides in my entire riding career (which started last October, 2006). It was a 45 mile ride in pouring down rain, but I didn't mind at all because I was able to keep up with the best rider in the group for most of the trip.

In fact, I was feeling so good about my riding improvements as I pedaled each mile away, that I started to get a little cocky and careless. The old saying "Pride goes before a fall" became a reality for me at the 42nd mile.

While waiting for a couple slower riders to catch up, I was circling in a holding pattern on a single-lane road. It was still pouring down rain and I didn't realize that my brakes were completely gone (rain acts like oil when it's running along a bike rim). I had built up a little too much speed as I made that last swooping turn and suddenly realized I was heading for the ditch.

I slammed on the brakes but they didn't slow me down at all, so I was forced to turn sharply. That's when I fell flat on my shoulder - and just as a car started approaching in that same lane! I was still clipped in to my racing pedals, so I had to flip myself and the bike over into the other lane to avoid being hit.

I landed harder than I realized, and felt sharp chest pain both Monday and Tuesday before finally hauling myself in to the doctor for X-rays. Fortunately there were no rib fractures, but they're definitely bruised and I'm home this week doped up on Percocet and Ibuprofen. My doctor said I'd need to rest for 2 weeks and avoid driving due to the sedatives she prescribed for the pain. Every breath I take is met with a sharp pain in my rib cage (probably from all the humble pie that's stuffed in there).

On the bright side, I'll have plenty of time this week to finish reading my new book "Wisdom of Our Fathers: Lessons and Letters from Daughters and Sons" by Tim Russert. There have been some real gems already in the first half of the book, with some amazing stories of the impact that fathers have had in their son's and daughter's lives.

I've already noticed a change in the way I interact with my kids, because I'm starting to realize how important my words and actions are to them. Many of the stories that Tim published were written from grown-ups who remembered things their dads said and did to them as a child that forever changed their lives (in both good and bad ways).

I sure hope my kids will remember the positive experiences more than the negative ones, and I'm blown away at how fortunate I am to be their father!