Publisher’s Points to Ponder: Biking Around Town

A few months ago, I wrote an article about minimalism. I challenged you to go on this journey with me. One of the things I vowed to simplify was my mode of transportation. I said I would park my car and bike around town. Some of you embraced the concept of biking around town. I believe I counted three residents cycling since we published that article a few weeks ago. Others held me accountable by harassing me as I climbed out of my car day after day. “Hey news lady, where is your bike?” I am proud to say that April 1 marks the end of my ducking and dodging. April 1 is the day I parked the car and bicycled to work.

Obviously—in the spirit of minimalism—when I vowed to ditch the car and use the bike, I believed the adage that “once you learn how to ride a bike, you never forget.” This adage is NOT true. It’s false; fraudulent; deceptive; shady. We may retain the general knowledge of things such as placing the hands on the handlebars and placing the feet on the pedals. But as we become more “seasoned” individuals, our body parts don’t work the same way they did when we first learned how to ride a bike. Nevertheless, I bicycled to work today.

I must digress to give a shoutout to the guy at the intersection who allowed me to cross because I had no idea how to stop without standing next to the curb. Since there are limited curbs at the stops on my route, I must continue moving forward once I start. Also, I apologize to the person who honked and waved at me. My intention was not to ignore you. I was afraid to take my hands off the handlebars to wave hello. That could have been a disaster for both of us. A special shoutout to Nancy B. for laughing out loud—as if I wasn’t embarrassed enough about the helmet and chin strap. At least I bicycled to work today.

After I leaned against the curb across from the office, after my heart rate slowed down, after the blood rolled through the veins in my hands again, I felt terrific. I had this undeniable feeling of a child-like euphoria. For that brief moment, my worries, my doubts, and my insecurities vanished as I stood proudly next to my bike shouting, I BICYCLED TO WORK TODAY!

Cycle and Share your stories with me on Facebook.com/OlneyEnterprise.