Thursday, May 15, 2008

Riding my bike, way behind

It's bike-to-work month and so I'm back on my bike some of the time, but a lot of the time, mostly because I am very slow and it is a long ride (17.5 miles one way).

This is supposed to save energy and make me healthier and maybe even make me thinner (it won't, though) and it's supposed to be fun. And it is fun, except for that hill, oh, and that other hill. Now I am a little short of breath.

The downside is that I have less time for reading (I can read on the bus, but not on the bike) and less time for writing (I'm spending it all on the bike, and then I'm kind of spent).

I distinctly remember riding along yesterday and having one of those delicious aha! moments. I thought, "I know what my next poem is going to be." Wonderful. But that's all I remember. What was my next poem going to be?

I could stop and jot down a note, but then it would take me even longer to get to where I'm going. It may be all about the journey, but not so much when it's the commute.

All this moaning! And you should hear me when I get off my bike at the end of the day! But seriously, if you haven't cycled in a while, use this month as an excuse. (Joannie says...) Haul the bike out of the shed or the basement. Pump up the tires. Get on and go. It'll make you feel like a happy puppy with its head out the window. It'll make you feel like a kid again.

And tonight, after my long pedal home, I'm going to go to my first letterpress class!

2 comments:

Michael A. Wells said...

Oh... do hope you'll blog on the letterpress class. Sounds interesting!

Joannie Stangeland said...

The letterpress class was fantastic! What am I doing here at work? I could be setting type!

More to come.