Easy Rider

There have been a couple of stages in my life where I have owned a bicycle. The first, of course, was my childhood. Biking was fun, easy and often done with other friends with bikes. Sure, there were scraped knees and some black and blues here and there, but there were also handle bar streamers and shiny pink paint, which made it all worth it.

The second time in my life I owned a bicycle was in college, and I used it to ride from my campus apartment to class. It was the easiest way to get around, and the weather in Arizona always made biking a popular choice. Sadly, bike theft was a big problem on campus, so I never got too attached to a particular bike because I was always replacing it.

Now, I find myself owning a bicycle once again. It was a recent purchase — my husband and I bought them last Fall on sale (we discovered buying bikes in the Fall is cheaper than in the Spring, as the season is almost over). His boss lent us a child seat for the back, and we bought helmets for ourselves. At first, I was nervous. It had been some time since I was on a bike and I was freaking out. Would I be sore the next day? Did my physical balance still exist? My emotional balance had certainly taken a beating over time! And what about my daughter, would she like the bike seat or hate it?

Cut to any Saturday morning as of late: I actually burst out of bed (yes, I did say burst) with excitement and anticipation! The first thought that pops in my head is always the same: how long will it take to feed, dress, and prepare ourselves until we can get on our bikes?

I go biking almost every weekend now and I must say, I am absolutely in love with it. I find myself daydreaming about it all week long, as it always feels like a special occasion. When I finally get to mount my bike on the bike path by our apartment, the feeling of freedom never fails to wash over me. The sunshine on my skin and the wind on my face inspires an odd combination of feelings — both a rush of excitement and peace if you can imagine that. I get to be outdoors on this beautiful day with my husband and child, and I start to feel like a kid again myself. Totally free and completely at ease. We often spend a few hours biking up and down the island of Manhattan, watching the light dance on the river's surface and the birds keep rhythm with both the wind and tide of the river. It's a magical experience, and I haven't used the word magical in sometime. One look at my daughter's face on the back of the bike tells me that she feels the same way.

That's one of the most amazing gifts of being a parent: rediscovering magic again. Getting to experience the joys of my child's "firsts" is truly exhilarating. But beyond that, realizing that there's a newness for me too: something that's about experiencing joy in the moment and nothing else. There's such simplicity in that, and when something is simple it's usually easy. I like easy. Learning to enjoy biking once again, at this stage in my life? Easy. And fun, and wonderful.

Author: Amy