Anniversaries
Nine years ago yesterday, my car was towed off to city impound and I became car-free. It wasn’t entirely by choice, but I wasn’t distressed over it either. As I recall, I felt relieved, actually, mainly due to the reduction in drama and expenses.
Even so, at the time my favorite magazine was still Car & Driver, and I was drooling over the latest models from Detroit. It seemed temporary.
I was already commuting by bus so making the transition was simply a matter of using the bus for other trips as well. For the first seven years of car-free living I did quite well for myself with the bus, shoeleather express and the occasional car ride.
Two weeks ago was the second anniversary of my becoming a cyclist. I’ve charged through these years with the zeal of the newly converted. Free of bus routes and schedules, my world expanded.
I was already a master of car-free living, but cycling brought another aspect to it—another set of tools in the armamentarium. It brought flexibility, greater range and higher load carrying capacity.
More importantly, it brought joy.
I don’t recall ever feeling joy over riding the bus. Behind the wheel? Maybe back in the 70s sometime. Traffic pretty much killed that, along with all the other hassles of car ownership.
Cycling brings me joy with every ride. Sometimes it’s a little, sometimes a lot. Sometimes it doesn’t hit until after I hang up the bike, other times it arrives with the first pedal stroke.
Whatever my original motivations, whatever subsidiary reasons, I continue to ride my bike for joy.
April 20th, 2008 at 2:13 pm EDT
Happy Anniversary! Very inspiring post.
April 22nd, 2008 at 8:15 pm EDT
Bravo and bellisimo for the joy of riding a bike!