If I can hold out until tomorrow afternoon, then I will have gone one ENTIRE week without any motor-propelled-transportation. ALL biking and walking, all week long. This could seriously be the first week of my entire life when ZERO motor/gasoline/electricity went into carrying my butt around town, aside from my little battery-powered blinking nightlights. BAD ASS.
This streak of greenness, healthiness, self-sufficiency, and FUN can be partially attributed to Boston’s splendid September weather and a lack of truly long-distance plans. However, the week’s biking mileage is around 90, so I certainly haven’t stayed home all week and called it avant-garde. In fact, I got to cross the gorgeous Charles River SIX times since Tuesday, thrice enjoyed the lovely Cambridge, and relished daily in the view of JP Pond. Oh, and went to school a few times, too. Almost forgot.
Dear God: thank you for my legs, my bicycle, my helmet, and this FINE New England environment in which to soak up some precious sun. I won’t get too mad at you for Winter as long as this joyful weather lasts just a little bit longer.
Jon is a more fierce cyclist than I, but it’s hard not to jump on the bikewagon and proclaim that it’s THE WAY we should transit around urban settings, for umpteen bzillion reasons. SO many passionate-bicycle-entrepreneurs have turned their own two-wheeler love into bold non-profit ventures, such as Jamaica Plain’s own BikesNotBombs, Chicago’s WorkingBikes, Seattle’s InternationalBikeFund, Canada’s new-ish BicyclesforHumanity, and many more. I can’t forget the always-sexy CriticalMass movement either, which is detailed nicely along with a far broader analysis of “bicycle activism” in this lovely essay.
If you have a bike and don’t ride it, fix that. If you don’t have a bike, find one. It’s the quickest way to jump into a simpler mindset, more peaceful lifestyle, and convenient exercise habits, if only to take up the time of a commute that would otherwise be wastefully, painfully boring. Viva my own stylish getaway pony, lady Univega. You’re a sexy road-beast.
