Different Shoes
This post is not actually a post about shoes.
It’s about perspective.
Think back to the days before you started biking to work. Or maybe you don’t even have to think back at all, maybe you haven’t started. Whether you you drove, walked or took transit, you probably had some notion of cyclists on city streets. Mine was kind of like this:
But I liked biking and missed it. I thought it was for the suburbs and bike paths, and I didn’t leave near either. I never really considered biking in the city until I developed a crush.
So I decided to just try it out a little bit. I didn’t stop driving, but I took a leap and discovered that there was more to biking than my initial stereotype:
I fell in love with it. The musician crush faded, but the biking stuck.
Nobody has to bike. But sometimes it’s good to try something new and put yourself in someone else’s shoes for a bit. A different perspective can make all the difference.
Ha, nice. I’m trying to remember what I thought of cyclists before I became one myself 4 years ago. I think just “brave.” And usually “male.” On days like today, when the sun is shining, cars are backed up in traffic for blocks, and dozens of bicyclists stream by, I wonder if many drivers are thinking – “hey, I should join them.” Probably not – probably more like the thought bubbles in your third drawing, but a woman can dream.
I’m worrying about what the moon dust is going to do to your chain…
Yes! I love the frame with you pedaling through all the miffed car drivers—so true! The time we save on bikes is incredible, and it always feel so rewarding to cruise past long rows of cars! Just one of the many little joys experienced while commuting by bicycle.
The Moon: one place where cycling without a helmet probably isn’t a very good idea.