The bike That No longer Fits

"I was riding a bike, and everything felt fine. Then I got off, and the second time I climbed on, something was wrong. My feet kept straining for the pedals, and I felt too short for it, as if I had outgrown the world around me. I recognized the bike. It was the old fashioned, 70s style bike I had when I was about ten, the one I was never proud of back in the 1990s. Even in the dream, I felt that old flicker of embarrassment. Then I saw a friend of mine, short like me, standing beside her bike. It looked like a child's bike. I looked at it and thought it seemed too small for me, but maybe it was the right size. She smiled and showed me how to measure my legs to find the bike that would suit me. I looked back at my own bike and noticed the seat came up to my waist. It didn't seem too bad, but I realized it could explain why I was struggling so much. When I woke up, I felt puzzled, as if I had been handed a riddle with an almost-answer. The dream had been gentle, but I couldn't make sense of it, and I lay there turning the details over in my mind."