Riding my bicycle

Do one thing every day that scares you.
- Eleanor Roosevelt -

I have a bicycle. I live in Uptown Whittier, which, being an older city, should be livable sans automobile. And it is, mostly: There are nice sidewalks and most of them have large lovely shade trees; the shops have interesting window displays and face the street; i feel safe, even after dark. So, i walk to Starbucks or the Post Office at least once a week. I walk to my hair stylist. I've walked to get ice cream with my brother.

But i want to do more. Cars put out more pollutants in the first few miles than they do once their engines and exhaust mechanisms warm up, and most people have many trips within just a few miles. For instance, there are two grocery stores within 2 miles of my apartment.

Usually, that doesn't matter, because i stop at Trader Joe's on my way home from work. It's en route, you see, and i have an insulated grocery bag for anything that may need to stay cold. Or, i stop at Trader Joe's on the way home from my parents' or from church. (Mmm, Trader Joe's. Yes, you see a theme here.) But my local Trader Joe's is more than walking distance--about four miles! I don't have time for that, even if it isn't physically a problem. I've been looking for a more economical and environmental way to get grocery things when i need one or two things asap.

So, today, i put on my sneakers, took down one of my cloth grocery bags off its peg, and took my wallet out of my purse. I put all that stuff in the basket on my bicycle, and wheeled it out of the carriage shed. I held the handle bars and gave it a good look. It's white, lavender, and purple--NOT a color scheme i would choose, but the shop gave me a good deal on it because it was last year's model. (I swallowed my pride and got purple instead of blue or green, which were my first choices.) :) Then i sighed.

See, i hate riding bicycles. I don't know why: did i have some traumatic experience with them that i've buried in my subconscious, like skinning my knees one too many times or something? Oh wait, that's not in my subconscious: i DID skin my knees riding bikes. Went through several pairs of jeans, as i recall, in 6th grade and 10th grade. I loved riding around the parking lot in Anaheim where we lived for 2 1/2 years, but i hated falling off all the time, and the idea of riding in public, on sidewalks with driveways and bumps and changes in slope, scares me to death. And trying to avoid moving cars, or people stepping out in front of me, or trees...

Ever read Calvin and Hobbes? I feel the same way Calvin does about bicycles.

But i rode mine today, 1 1/2 miles each way, to the grocery store That Is Not Trader Joe's. (There are no bike racks at this grocery store! What's up with that?) It's downhill all the way there, which means....Anyway, it was blissfully uneventful. I managed to stop at all the red lights and stop signs and not fall over when i rested one foot on the curb. I didn't hit any parked cars, nor did any reversing cars hit me. Trees stayed put. No one swooped madly into the bike lane, and one car who did want to make a right turn nicely signaled and moved over ahead of me.

All in all, a good trip. The wind in my hair felt good, as did the spring sunshine. It was good exercise to ride uphill home. The tires made a pleasant whir-whir-whir sound against the asphalt.

I don't know how soon i'll do it again though!