Riding my bike

I rode my bike to work today. It was still a little brisk but the sun was shining and it felt nice to be doing something that is wholesome, energy efficient and fun. In an era of societal uncertainty, its always nice to find something that is uncontroversially good.

Almost anyone can ride a bike if they choose and nobody is going to argue with its merits. It consumes no gasoline, produces no CO2 and is probably as safe an activity as anything in life. No creative financing is required nor does the activity scream of any moral statements or judgment. Amazingly, its also an activity that's fat-free, calorie-burning, energizing and enjoyable. Riding a bike gets your heart and legs pumping, amps up the circulation to your brain and opens up the mind to deeper meditations. And unless you paste a billboard on your back or strap a boombox to your bike frame, you can generally wear whatever you want and ride wherever you want unnoticed and anonomous.

My childhood revolved around the bicycle for several seasons. Between the ages of 5 and 12 I rode my bike everyday and everywhere. It was my vehicle of choice for going anywhere or going nowhere in particular. I remember the thrill when my little brother also learned to ride his bike because then he could join me on my rides. Life was simpler then. The lazy days of summer passed by effortlessly, in large part due to the wide access a bike provided me to the woods, streams, gullies and neighborhoods of my childhood.

So, why my rapture about something as mundane as riding a bicycle? Hard to say, but perhaps it hails back to something I read earlier this week. The author, a university professor and former member of his country's education commission, comments on the importance of children reading and being read to. He also talks about the benefits of repetition. Young minds grow and develop in very particular ways and hearing the same storybook read over and over has been found to be very helpful for a number of reasons. Anyone who has experienced this can testify to the fact that young kids love hearing the same story over and over. Just ask yourself how many times have you read, "Good Night Moon", "Right Foot, Left Foot", "The Hungry Caterpillar" or "Green Eggs and Ham".

It appears that repetition of ordinary tasks such as reading and re-reading a storybook enables both learning and positive value development. For it is during the repetition that one is able to enjoy deep thoughts and find treasures of knowledge in the midst of the mundane. Contrast this with what happens to kids that are forever reading new books, watching TV or playing the newest of the never ending supply of video or computer games or movies. Kids that get caught up in the pattern of seeking the latest, greatest and newest of everything often find themselves on a never ending treadmill. Their minds and lives are never satisfied with the ordinary. These kids then grow up and become adults who are accustomed to always having something new and exciting before their eyes. And in the process the inquisitive spirit is deadened as the ability to fail to take notice of the joys that come from life's common events fades.

Gone are the times of a lazy afternoon throwing the ball with Dad, camping out in the backyard, riding bikes with the neighbor kids or building forts with scrap lumber. None of these hold the same superficial appeal as the latest Gameboy or iPod or Facebook gadget. And yet, how often can you stop and smell the newly emerging crocuses or listen to the sound of recently returned robins while playing Nintendo?

I did both on my bike ride to work this morning.