I commuted to work on my bicycle for the first time today. I was present and aware enough to slow down and see a family of deer lovingly drinking water from a crystal clear stream. I caught a photo of only the beautiful mama deer, the baby fawn and daddy deer scampered away as I clumsily searched through my pack for my phone. And sure we all see deer pretty often, no big deal, but being in the presence of these beautiful creatures is oh so much more gorgeous and intimate when you’re outside of your car, sensing the same energy as they are, as is all nature or moments of beauty we often speed pass trying to get from one place to the next. Slow down. Life is happening.
The more I ride the more I feel like it’s a part of me. Like a modern day stallion zipping me through the world free and flying. Perhaps that’s a bit romanized, but it’s true. All in all I feel…alive. More so than in a car. What I love most is how it forces me to really feel and be where I am. Even at a stop light or going down the road. I smell the flowers, hear the song birds singing, the buzzing of the summer cicadas, effortless smiles from passing strangers not enclosed in a huge containers of metal, the muggy moist familiar sensation of the Ohio valley humidity dripping down my neck. I love it. I love to feel life to be in life, how seemingly uncomfortable it might appear to be.
I reluctantly totaled my car about two months ago. It was a fender bender but alas it bent my frame and my little Civic wasn’t valued enough to fix it. So Jonathan and I have been sharing his car. We are both capable and enthusiastic cyclists. I absolutely adore my vintage 1970s French Peugeot he so lovingly bestowed onto me. And I’ve certainly been using it much more since the wreck, although I have been hesitant to ride it to work. The only reason simply being that I work at 7am and setting my alarm back an additional twenty minutes seems quite unbearable at times when I’m already waking up at 6:25am, absolutely pathetic I know. I have to admit I did drive to work this morning but brought the car home mid shift and cycled back later in the morning. I’ve so badly desired to see and start capturing the glory of the sunrise in the morning. I feel blessed that the Crescent Hill Reservoir is on my commute to and from work (how perfect is that??) so it’s allowed me to take advantage of and habitually photograph the gorgeous sunsets there, and I’m hoping for equally as stunning sunrises. We will see in the coming weeks what I can capture.
I’m not hating on cars though, I absolutely value the freedom and independence they allow us to have. I’m just happy and thankful I’ve been given the opportunity to not regularly use one for a while
The more I ride the more I feel like it’s a part of me. Like a modern day stallion zipping me through the world free and flying. Perhaps that’s a bit romanized, but it’s true. All in all I feel…alive. More so than in a car. What I love most is how it forces me to really feel and be where I am. Even at a stop light or going down the road. I smell the flowers, hear the song birds singing, the buzzing of the summer cicadas, effortless smiles from passing strangers not enclosed in a huge containers of metal, the muggy moist familiar sensation of the Ohio valley humidity dripping down my neck. I love it. I love to feel life to be in life, how seemingly uncomfortable it might appear to be.
I reluctantly totaled my car about two months ago. It was a fender bender but alas it bent my frame and my little Civic wasn’t valued enough to fix it. So Jonathan and I have been sharing his car. We are both capable and enthusiastic cyclists. I absolutely adore my vintage 1970s French Peugeot he so lovingly bestowed onto me. And I’ve certainly been using it much more since the wreck, although I have been hesitant to ride it to work. The only reason simply being that I work at 7am and setting my alarm back an additional twenty minutes seems quite unbearable at times when I’m already waking up at 6:25am, absolutely pathetic I know. I have to admit I did drive to work this morning but brought the car home mid shift and cycled back later in the morning. I’ve so badly desired to see and start capturing the glory of the sunrise in the morning. I feel blessed that the Crescent Hill Reservoir is on my commute to and from work (how perfect is that??) so it’s allowed me to take advantage of and habitually photograph the gorgeous sunsets there, and I’m hoping for equally as stunning sunrises. We will see in the coming weeks what I can capture.
I’m not hating on cars though, I absolutely value the freedom and independence they allow us to have. I’m just happy and thankful I’ve been given the opportunity to not regularly use one for a while
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