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Turning a Negative Into a Positive

Submitted by dsimmer on Tue, 07/28/2009 - 23:04

When we first discovered that our truck had been stolen a few weeks ago, the common response from those around us was of anger, disgust, and plenty of "see, Detroit sucks"-type comments. Hard to feel better about the situation when that's the message from those around, mind you. But in actuality, our neighbors were very encouraging and supportive (special thanks to Mike and Sophany for all of their transportation help so far!). The police were very kind and added some great humor to the event (one officer asked me to drive her to Traverse City next year for the Cherry Festival). But above all, it's forced me into a healthier lifestyle.

Generally speaking, I was able to drive one vehicle to the school each day under the excuse that I had errands, etc. to run afterward. This was probably the case, but lame considering that the school is only three miles away. Lame, because I was burning fuel, causing unnecessary pollution and creating traffic that didn't need to happen.

Then, boom. The truck disappears, and suddenly I am forced to bike back and forth to the school each day. In a matter of 48 hours, I went from "I haven't biked in 5 years" to "oh crap, I have to bike 6 miles each day in an urban setting with hills, overpasses, and lots of traffic."

I got it for the right price: FREE.

So here I am, riding a rather uninspired but trusty bicycle back and forth to work each day. I'm not particuarly athletic anymore (high school basketball was a LONG time ago) and running only causes me asthma problems and public shame. But cycling each day has caused me to complete the following tasks:

  • Get sweaty enough each day to require a mid-day shower.
  • Increase the amount I am heckled by those walking and biking in the neighborhood.
  • Lose 5 pounds of excess weight.
  • Drink tons more water.
  • Tweak my eating to something more healthy.
Okay, the last couple aren't specific to cycling, but it has come about as a result. And the 30-minute ride gives me a lot of time to be more contemplative both morning and afternoon.
If you have the opportunity, give it a shot. It's surprising how quickly one becomes a fan of riding a bike (36 miles since last Monday).