Just a Bike Ride

Every once in a while I'm in the mood to-- what do they call it?-- work OUT. My muscles start getting an itchy feeling, and the only response is a big walk or a bike ride or-- if I'm feeling TRULY ambitious-- a run.

Today it was a bike ride.

Ironic twist of fate: I have TONS of hard core work-out clothes from when I worked at my running shoe company, but I never wear them when I actually work out. Why? Because people look at me and think that I'm going to be completely hard core. Once an old man stopped his bike next to me at an intersection. I was wearing my "Canada" technical tee, Brooks running shoes, and Brooks pants. "Did you come down from Canada just to ride this trail?" he asked.
I laughed. "No! I'm from here."
"Oh," he said, disappointed. "Are you riding all the way to the end?"
"No!" I said again. "Just-- home. Which is like, three miles away."
"Oh," he said, disappointed again. Then the light turned green, and he blitzed by me.

I've learned to wear cotton on my bike rides.

All this meant, however, that I had no fancy hidden pocket to stick my i-pod in. I tried first jerry-rigging it by putting it in a sock that I wrapped around the handle-bars, but that didn't work, and then I just held it, and that didn't work, and then I stuck it in my sports bra.

Anyway. The great part of the ride started when I was actually stopped, at Gasworks park-- one of my favorite spots in Seattle.


I saw a man flying his kite, and it fell. He tried to loft it himself, but it wasn't working, so I hopped over and helped him and that made me happy. Then it fell again, and I helped him again, and I felt happier.

As I was leaving, I spotted JOUSTING. I found men wearing silver armor, with shields and swords, and they were jousting with a jousting referee!!


That was hilarious, obviously, and also made me happy.

I began riding home, and saw blooms on the blackberry bushes, which means there will be blackberries soon. I saw a girl walking along and thought of my kids' Positive Propaganda Projects and hollered, "Have a GREAT day!"

I passed UW and decided to ride up to the fountain and smell the roses. They were ALL in bloom-- it was incredible!


I smelled about ten of them, and one fushia colored rose had the most incredible scent. I saw an old man sitting by himself and plucked one of the roses, hopped over the little hedge rose-garden-protector and gave it to him. "Here!" I said happily. "This is for you. It smells amazing!"

And then I got on my bike and rode off and felt sort of giddy.

I saw another girl walking and yelled, "You are lovely!" and I saw a little boy riding his bike on two wheels and called, "Good JOB!" I smiled at everyone, and loved the trees, and loved the flowers, and loved the overcast sky. I waved at people on their "Ride the Ducks" tours and they all waved back.


It was a very happy bike ride.

And now I am showered, and in a new sweatshirt that's just a little too big, and I'm just a little bit sleepy, and thinking that I ought to-- perhaps-- rev up the endorphins a little more often.

Making people happy is the happiest thing to do. I bet my students would be proud of me. :)