Bicycle Balance

I love the bicycles in my life and the balance that they offer me. My bicycle is around 20 years old and still gives me great rides with its fat tires and simple mechanics. I am ready to retire it though, the last few times that I rode it I heard how tired it was. It wants to be put out to pasture where wildflowers can grow through it and wildlife can perch on it when needed. Maybe it will become part of someone's next sculpture or garden art. Before it moves on to the next phase of its life I want to thank it for all of the great rides that it has given me, for all of the jobs, classes and experiences that it transported me to and to all the hours of pure recreation that it shared with me. The muscles exercised, calories burned, fresh air breathed, problems thought through, inspirations heard, sights seen, breezes felt, hills coasted down and pushed up are all priceless parts of my life that I am all the richer, healthier, wiser, and more balanced because of experiencing them. I have had a few accidents over the years of riding my two wheelers, but these fade in memory when compared to the upside of the hours on my saddle.

I will miss my old bicycle, but I am already excited for the new one that will find me. It will be something between a hybrid and a mountain bike. Hopefully it will be manufactured in Canada with attention to quality and workmanship in a place that despises planned obsolescence (for more information about this see http://www.storyofstuff.com/ - it is a 20 minute watch, but worth every minute of it!) I would like to buy it locally – maybe it will be second hand, already loved by someone else who may no longer need it now. Hopefully the new bicycle and I will be able to enjoy the new bike lanes that are proposed for Chatham-Kent in the not too distant future.

Today as I hopped on my daughter's fendered, old style coaster bike for the 20 minute commute to the office (I asked to borrow her bike because the roads are wet today and I didn't want to show up at the office with the road stripe down my back) I was just grateful to have the opportunity to be able to bicycle to work. As I walked out to the garage to get the bike I passed the snapdragons, calendula, mints and other herbs in the garden that are still showing their beauty and I began acclimatizing to the cool November air. The adaptation to the cool and damp air continued as I rode off down the street. I began to feel more awake and alive with each push of the pedal and breath of fresh air. Just previous to this I had been working at home on many small tasks, my mind engaged in its multitasking busyness, my body still clad in pajamas late in the day. Jumping on the bike was like getting a second chance to wake up for the day. As I continued to ride the route to the office I communed with the sky and the friendly neighbourhood trees, animals, birds, and people and I could feel myself connecting with it all. I really do believe that this kind of commute keeps me more in touch with the energy of my community and helps me to stay prepared and aware for the life that is awaiting me.

I am not a calorie counter, but for those of you who are, moderate bicycle riding consumes approximately 400 to 600 calories per hour. The number crunchers out there can add up the dollars and cents that I have saved by not purchasing a car, paying for its fuel, insurance and upkeep since I was 16 – I am 48 now, that's 32 years of savings as I have always biked or walked as my main method or transportation to and from work. And how many carbon points have I saved? I found this interesting site http://bicycleuniverse.info/transpo/energy.html and entered a few numbers for myself in the bike vs. walk vs. drive calculator and came to understand that I use approximately 1 pound of carbon equivalents while biking instead of the 2 pounds that I would expend by walking (that will come when the temperatures are colder and the ground is snowier) and the 3 pounds that I would use by driving.

I do drive. We are a one car family, working out a harmonious schedule of use most of the time. I certainly do appreciate the convenience of being able to transport my children to their jobs (even though I used to have to get myself to work when I was their age!) because they are definitely too big to fit into the bicycle trailer that I used to cart them around in. Bringing home boxes full of groceries also gets a little challenging on a bike (teenagers eat a lot!) and those out of town trips would take me days instead of hours. But I do find that I begin to rush and ignore the world around me if I spend too much time behind the wheel of a car. When the weather is inclement and I am choosing the convenience of driving, I find that I close myself up, rush to the car, quickly put the heater on, drive to my destination, experience much less community interaction, rush into the building of my destination and continue the rushing theme. The bicycle commute requires more of my personal energy and time but gives me so much more in return.