Biking for Mental Health and Happiness

A Typical Tuesday

Sunbathing cats languidly glance up,

birds fly away as I hop on my bike and pedal

past barking dogs,

past cavorting lambs ,

past lush fields of daffodils.

I tease a clump of cows with a startling aria,

laughing when two raise their liquid eyes my way.

These sturdy wheels and legs

carry me to work.

I wonder why the road is not clogged with bicyclists.

I remember Holland,

well dressed business people biked to their jobs:

women in high heels, men in suits.

In Africa they carry truck tires,

entire families on their bikes.

I just enjoy the ride

thinking as I pedal about this circle of life.                   Susan Grout 2011

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I just had the opportunity to go on the "Tour de Lopez", a 31 mile journey around the little island to the east of our island. Several friends and I met up on the ferry and told funny stories en route to the ride. The day that was grey and cloudy was becoming sunny outside and inside that ferry. Nothing like the harmony of a good group of friends to bring on the sunshine.

"You will do foolish things, but do them with enthusiasm."
Collette

Biking has been part of my life since I was five years old. Always a dare devil child I learned to ride early and to my Mother's consternation I rode with daring. To her horror she watched as I rode down our small hill one foot balanced on the seat, hands holding on to the handle bars, while I did an arabesque-- leg extended behind me. Pay back time came when I raised two sons like myself, Josh  at 2 years old rode his trike down a flight of stairs and then at seven his bike off a deck. Zach at eleven was performing tricks and feats down a rocky slope, crashed and bleeding rode himself to the medical center. I shake my head now when I think about our adventures and thank God that we all had the good fortune to survive and never even lose consciousness.

The exhilaration and the freedom I felt when I learned to ride at five continues to this day, and is without parallel. What a clever device a bicycle is: a self propelled unit that can take you almost anywhere you want to go. Amazing. Then the additional benefits, no gas guzzling, no emissions, splendid exercise, and an excellent chance to think with no machines to interrupt you. I realize this is not for everyone, but I pity those who cannot join in the fun of bicycling.

The Tour for the young ones is a rather quick experience, our group took our time, some did the entire 31 miles and others for various reasons chose the shorter 17 mile route. All reported an excellent day even those of us who should have trained more and had a very sore butt as a consequence of under training. So I comforted myself with overeating and Aleve when I got home.

Biking gave me my first taste of independence, and I have never looked back. In the 50's in Evanston, under parenting ruled and we went everywhere on bikes, school, beaches, the stores. I am grateful for those days of 'no helmet' abandon. Then biking saved my bacon in graduate school. I used those wheels as a metaphor for life, cranking away at my studies. I did some of my best thinking while pedaling furiously. Tension, worry, and the aggravation of being an "at a distant student" [when that was a new concept], fell away as I tore down the roads of our town. It centered me, focused my thoughts.

However, this was not always the case. Once time after grad school I was preparing for a talk that I was giving in Victoria. As usual I hopped on my bike to go over all the important points in my head. Well, I started fooling around, not paying close enough attention and I wasn't wearing a helmet. Next thing I knew, my wheel went into the soft gravel and when I fell I smacked my chin on the pavement.  Naturally, my chin split open and like Zachary before me, despite the gushing blood, I had to ride myself to the medical center. No stitches they glued me, but the lesson was learned. I looked a sight and to my embarrassment I had to tell that story to 250 people at the conference. Paying attention while biking is as important as the attention needed for driving a car.

Today I am more safety oriented and much more attentive. I always wear a helmet, I dress to be noticed, looking like a carnival. I have a bell, a mirror, padded pants [that really do feel like wearing diapers], padded gloves and carry a spare tire. But the best news is I haven't done an arabesque in years. Mother would be so relieved.

magicfeather copyright 2011 Susan R. Grout all rights reserved.