I hopped on my bike at 6:40 a.m. this morning and rode to a breakfast meeting at Shaw and 41. Then, I rode back down Fresno towards the Tower district to the Clean Air Coalition office, then went to a meeting at the Air District, then back to the office in the tower, then rode home, then to the post office, and the bank, then to First and Shields....
Seriously, the list could have continued, but I had to STOP!
Our current Urban American Lifestyle appears to be completely insane and out of control--once you take a few steps out of the picture and look back. I have no desire to continue to live like this! This lifestyle is insane! No wonder half the population is on Lexapro! We are like manic mice in a fish tank!
So, today I wrote a "Dear John" e-mail to some of my friends to let them know that I am bowing out of this vicious car-centric cycle:
Hi Everyone!
I know that many of you do not read the Fresno Bee.
I have been wanting to become a full-time bike commuter for a long time! I had prepared my family and had planned to cut the car ties last June 1, but my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer...
So, a few weeks ago, I was asked by a biker friend to write a bike blog--and to be a bit controversial, but be fair. He wanted me to create a blog where all the bikers in our area can come together.
I decided to combine the two concepts--become a full-time bike commuter--and blog about it. In the Valley, bike commuting is Fringe! I wrote a Letter to the Editor and the deal was--I would give up the car the day the letter was printed.The letter was printed on Saturday.
I am quickly learning that I cannot live the lifestyle I used to, and be a bike commuter.
I must make a lifestyle change. I can no longer "hop in the car and be there in 10 minutes."
I need to mellow out a bit, coast, put it in a slower gear...and just cruise.
I am choosing to join a "slower life movement."
Yours Truly,
Nancy
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Dear John Letter
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1 comments:
I have fewer things on my plate than you, but I am overwhelmed. I am tired. I was riding to work this morning, exhausted, thinking about this post on slowing down.
I think it's not just about slowing down, it's about doing less. The car, essentially, is a labor-saving device. It is akin to the washing machine and the vacuum cleaner and off-the-rack clothing made in China. I think the life of an average person during the time just before cars became commonplace, say the 1890's was incredibly more difficult than it is today, especially for women.
It is possible, of course. Plus, most of my life is dead easy. Or at least, it can easily make me dead, if I just sit back and let it. My sedentary job, for instance. So my plan is to do less of the unimportant stuff, and fit everything else in as best I can.
Hang in there, Pneumatic Cyclist! Get the important things done, and let the unimportant stuff go.
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