Glad I decided to check in while on vacation. You have my empathy, NWG. Everyone is so right, about developing other interests. I have never had a serious crash (just minor ones), but I have had illness where I had to change my attitude about riding. I spent a whole summer riding to farm stands and doing easy rides. In fact, I have changed a lot of my attitude toward riding; it can’t always be about longer and faster. Try some meditation; you can use the CALM app for free, if you don’t already.
Emily, you know Pamela Blalock? She is from my area, though she lives in western MA now. She rides with many people I know, including my friend Jack, whom I often mention. Small world!
Chicago is awesome. We did a bike tour just after arriving. I dislike riding city type bikes with those high bars; don’t mind flat bars, but these, plus flat pedals were enough for me to feel scared to death in the beginning, when we were in real city traffic. DH and I were elected to be sweeps, as experienced riders, so I kept it to myself. But, we saw stuff we would have never seen.