On being a bike commuter

The last time I was in a car was on Saturday.  I am very happy about that.  Since we live so close to campus, I bike to school every day.  I've also gotten in the habit of running errands on my bike.  I've been to the pharmacy, purchased school supplies, gotten my hair cut, gone to the bookstore and the grocery store, all on my bike.  I have a specific point on my ride home from school where I smile, take in the scenery, and think how great it is that I get to bike every day.

It has been a learning experience, for sure.  Everything takes a little longer on my bike, and I am now always scanning for bike racks when I arrive at my destination.  Although there are road signs all over Durham that remind drivers to share the road with bike, sometimes the cars whiz by awfully close.  I think twice about what I bring with me or purchase on my bike.  Everything that I bring along or acquire needs to go back with me, and I often need to pedal it up several hills.  I have accepted that for this time in my life, I am just going to be sweaty a lot, or be rained on.  I carry a towel with me everywhere.

And you know what?  I love being a bike commuter.  It is something that Adam and I have wanted to try.  It would be great if we could sell one of our cars someday and use our bikes to replace it.  I don't know if that will actually happen, but I am really enjoying it for now.  I hardly ever have to buy gas, find a place to park, or wonder what the rattling noise on the car means.  I like that I am being more environmentally friendly.  I get some exercise every day, and I am getting to know a new city in a whole new way.

Instead of being enclosed in my car bubble, I pedal along the streets, and I'm in a position to make eye contact and say hi to the people who are walking or waiting for the bus.  I notice street signs, restaurants, kids and dogs in a way that I haven't before.  I feel like I am more a part of this new place, because I am literally putting in all sorts of energy to explore it.  I am more aware of the many different life situations that people are in.  I ride my bike because it is convenient and it works for my schedule, but I also know that I have a car that I can drive if I want or need to.  I know that many other people don't have that option.  I enjoy biking because it is fun and novel, the weather is nice right now, and I can make some choices about where I need to be and at what time.  For others, biking, walking, or taking the bus for long distances is not a choice, but a necessity.  I don't want to forget that.  I hope that this experience, like so many others, will help me to live into being more compassionate and more informed about this world that we live in.  There is always more to learn.

I'm sure that I will have days where bike commuting will be a pain.  I'm curious to see what winter will be like, and how I will handle biking when it rains for days on end.  It will continue to be a good learning experience, which is what this year is all about.  

I am grateful that biking is one of my many teachers.