& hopefully they'll get it. my daughter has been riding with me for quite awhile now. she has come to a point in her riding where she just wants to ride. 'let's go on a ride.' before this it was to go somewhere. lunch. a destination. a thing. however; now it is riding for riding sake. which was the turning point i've been waiting for. and she is enjoying the hell out of it.
we were out the other day and the realization hit her...'you sure can see the city in a whole different way on a bike.' she started to get to know where we were. where we were going. she started to connect the dots very rapidly. I told her that when I went to CSU, that is how I really got to know downtown. I rode my bike to class & then then rode around downtown & got to know all the different streets. all the different alleys. is there a faster way? is there a safer way? is there a more scenic way?
as you ride around more in different ways, you can sure put the city together in a different way as well. this street will take you here, which will drop you here & then you're at this whole new place; which maybe right next to this other place. a puzzle comes together in a whole new & different way.
then the other day, I came across this post by Padraig from the Cycling Independent:
so true & what a nice happenstance. you do understand more of what is going on around you. in the city...you understand more of how the streets move. where they take you. where you can go. 'oh what does this alley do?' what are the 'short cuts'. you see more. pedal a little slower & you can take in the architecture of the city. it's style.
even the traffic flow for when you are driving. 'oh, they drive like manics over here.' or maybe these streets are less crowded. my wife & I went to grab some concert tickets the other day, & we took 'the back way'; which is a way I put together all from riding my bike. it was completely different than what I was used to doing & rather nice.
i'm hoping this idea stays with my daughter as she gets older, & maybe moves away for college or career. get out on your bike & explore the city & your surroundings. you'll get a whole new & different feeling, perspective of the puzzle that you're in & apart of.
namaste...
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