i want to ride my bicycle!
I remember when I first learned how to ride a bike. I was riding a red-orange Schwinn with a banana seat that had a cowboy design on the seat. I remember the first few feet of coasting effortlessly, the sound of the wind in my ears, the rush of excitement watching the pavement speed below my feet. It was one of life’s greatest moments for a five year old.
Years later I was given a new bike for Christmas, I rode that bike until it broke (literally). Then in the late eighties I got a new freestyle bike that was neon pink. Lest you laugh, you must know that riding a neon bike of any color made you the envy of your street. I rode that bike until it broke me (literally). As the years went on I rode less and less.
Recently I bought a new road bike. More than exercise, I have also begun commuting to work on it. My commute really is amazing. I ride along the South Platte River trail. It is a bike path that runs along the river banks of the Platte River for five miles. The trail is within a half-mile of my house and the church building so it makes for a very easy commute.
Initially, my motivation was to curb spending on gas (some of my riding is related to the fact that I do not want to give the oil companies any more money on top of the billions of dollars in profits they greedily net every year), and I wanted reduce my carbon footprint. That is until I realized what other benefits there are.
Last week I was riding under an overpass. As I did I heard a car horn honk, and an angry voice follow calling someone something because that someone had cut the horn honker off and apparently the horn honker was able to determine what kind of person that someone was by the way he or she drove. The traffic was gridlocked so much so that I was moving faster than them. I began to think about the stress that accompanies driving. I mean admit it, how many times do you get frustrated by some yahoo in a Suburban (remember the footprint comment?) who should never have been given a license?
As I surveyed this scene, I rode under the overpass, and looked at the river to see a family of geese. The rush of the river complimented the sound of wind in my ears. I could no longer hear the traffic, I could no longer smell the exhaust fumes, it was perfect. It was simple.
So often when it comes to simplifying we do it to save money or time. But there are so many other things that come with it that we miss. Things like getting home in the same amount of time on my bike minus the frustration of rush hour traffic on I-25 Northbound. Things like getting home and having your son waiting for you with his bike. Things like seeing geese swim along the river. Things like hearing the rapids and waterfalls crash and twist along the way. I could go on and on.
Maybe we should do what we can to just live more simply. Buy smaller houses. Driver less. Eat dinner at home more. Spend time playing wiffle ball outside instead of playing Wii inside. Keep only the clothes that you wear. Sit with friends to talk and laugh. Give more and spend less. Run through a field with your kids. Go hiking. Sit by a river. Laugh a lot. It is amazing that in all of these things, there is deep joy that far exceeds saving a few dollars or carving out more time for you to do more. It is the joy of simplicity. Enjoying people and life more.
Each day when I commute, I am reminded of the simplest thing of all, the joy of riding a bike.
Years later I was given a new bike for Christmas, I rode that bike until it broke (literally). Then in the late eighties I got a new freestyle bike that was neon pink. Lest you laugh, you must know that riding a neon bike of any color made you the envy of your street. I rode that bike until it broke me (literally). As the years went on I rode less and less.
Recently I bought a new road bike. More than exercise, I have also begun commuting to work on it. My commute really is amazing. I ride along the South Platte River trail. It is a bike path that runs along the river banks of the Platte River for five miles. The trail is within a half-mile of my house and the church building so it makes for a very easy commute.
Initially, my motivation was to curb spending on gas (some of my riding is related to the fact that I do not want to give the oil companies any more money on top of the billions of dollars in profits they greedily net every year), and I wanted reduce my carbon footprint. That is until I realized what other benefits there are.
Last week I was riding under an overpass. As I did I heard a car horn honk, and an angry voice follow calling someone something because that someone had cut the horn honker off and apparently the horn honker was able to determine what kind of person that someone was by the way he or she drove. The traffic was gridlocked so much so that I was moving faster than them. I began to think about the stress that accompanies driving. I mean admit it, how many times do you get frustrated by some yahoo in a Suburban (remember the footprint comment?) who should never have been given a license?
As I surveyed this scene, I rode under the overpass, and looked at the river to see a family of geese. The rush of the river complimented the sound of wind in my ears. I could no longer hear the traffic, I could no longer smell the exhaust fumes, it was perfect. It was simple.
So often when it comes to simplifying we do it to save money or time. But there are so many other things that come with it that we miss. Things like getting home in the same amount of time on my bike minus the frustration of rush hour traffic on I-25 Northbound. Things like getting home and having your son waiting for you with his bike. Things like seeing geese swim along the river. Things like hearing the rapids and waterfalls crash and twist along the way. I could go on and on.
Maybe we should do what we can to just live more simply. Buy smaller houses. Driver less. Eat dinner at home more. Spend time playing wiffle ball outside instead of playing Wii inside. Keep only the clothes that you wear. Sit with friends to talk and laugh. Give more and spend less. Run through a field with your kids. Go hiking. Sit by a river. Laugh a lot. It is amazing that in all of these things, there is deep joy that far exceeds saving a few dollars or carving out more time for you to do more. It is the joy of simplicity. Enjoying people and life more.
Each day when I commute, I am reminded of the simplest thing of all, the joy of riding a bike.