Why bike, why write?

There are lots of extraneous reasons for my bike commuting habit- for idealistic reasons (staying car free and keeping a small carbon footprint); for a vain desire to look better in my jeans and the related guilt of not doing any workout other than the commute; and because bussing/ walking just takes too damn long and requires me to get out of bed at an ungodly hour if I hope to make it to work on time. Yet, I think the real core reason I ride to work is because it creates space every day for me to experience and interact with my world. I find I'm a much better observer of details of city life from atop two wheels than from behind one, and I tend to have more lucid thoughts when I'm grinding out pedal strokes than while grinding through traffic in a metal box.




Some of these thoughts are somewhat noteworthy and perhaps even merit further exploration, which is why I'm starting to make use of this blog again. I'm envisioning it as a way to share observations made along my daily commute, as well as things I think about while riding my bike. This means that posts may not have anything to do directly with biking. Some of the things I think a lot about include food, food politics, local politics, urban design and neighborhoods, and community development.

Also, I should note that I am not exclusively a bicycle commuter- in fact, most mornings I combine a short bike ride with Light Rail to save time, and from time to time I take the bus or drive to work. So, I suppose it is not entirely accurate to say that this blog will consist only of things I've thought of while riding a bike. Instead, I'll say that since riding bikes makes me a more keen observer of life around me, and seems to stimulate mindfulness for me, I will try to post thoughts that fit with this general spirit.

Final thought for today- I think it is quite serindipitious that although its been dumping buckets most of the day, it was not raining for my morning commute, and somehow the sun has made an appearance for my ride home. Cheers!