photo: via humor site /photo attributed to Vedra H. Ciretop
My 1940's Jet Wind bicycle was stolen fall of last year. It was a sad event. I adjusted. I ended up walking, upped my use of public transportation, and I agreed to go via car trips, far more often than I wanted to.
That’s why I laughed when I saw this photo. I’d been saving it with the intention of one day writing about loosing my bicycle(s). Today I read Letsgorideabike and learned about Trish loosing Pinkie, her bicycle…
Awwhh... the sting of loosing something and so vitally important, all came back to me. In my case, I hated to be forced to learn this lesson for the second time. You see, when I lost my previous bicycle, my vintage Raleigh Superb (after vigilantly combing ebay for weeks and weeks to find this beauty), I quit bicycle riding altogether.
Instead I ended up walking to all my locals. I took on a job position that required I commute many, many miles for my work. I hate to say it here but in the course of 8 weeks I put on 10,000 miles on the car my company rented for me. What was I doing? I longed for my simpler bicycle life. Get me out of a Car! I need to re-career!
Easier said than done; the re-careering part that is. Yet the pang of loosing my bicycle stuck with me far longer than I expected. I just lost interest in finding a bicycle I could get so passionate about…you know, I’d found just the right wicker basket and beautiful eco shopping bags to go on my bicycle. Doing all of that all over again seemed too daunting a process I couldn’t push myself into anytime soon.
So I waited. A couple few years passed. I still did work that required car travel and lots of it. Big, old shockeroo actually got me back on the car lite track. My car was sold off by a towing company (long story). I was away on Holiday, wasn’t paying attention, trusted a friend to keep me informed and was simply off enjoying myself…highly negligent, I know... My car was now history. But wait this leads back to getting a bicycle in my life again!
I still had work that required extensive travel, visiting multiple sites spread out over the entire Bay Area. So I used public transportation and walking… which created impossibly long hours just to factor in the extra travel time. I walked an average of 6 miles per day, PLUS travelled long hours on a combo of trains, buses, and electric cars. I did this for the better part of a year. I learned a lot about how people commute to work if they don’t drive a car. I met these people everyday. I got to know them. I watched commuters with bikes disembark and then sail past me, while I walked. I envied the efficiency of the bicycle! This ignited my passion for a bicycle!
So creatively, I developed my own personal art of (stylish, vintage clothes loving) bicycle riding and got it all dialed in. Yes, ride a bicycle, if only just to go to my locals (neighborhood cafes, shops ET all).
As fate would have it, I no longer do long commute trips for work. I mean, I do bike commute to my part timer/ start up company job, and it’s only over at the Digital Media Factory, which is not much of a commute. It’s Nothing…try getting over Red Mountain like Eliza over at BikeSkirt, or the dealing with freezing cold and how to dress for it according to Trisha/Letsgorideabike. Now that’s work.
p.s. everybody lock your bike at all times, garages included. Like Dottie/Letsgorideabike, my bicycle was stolen out of my garage. My other bike was stolen from a secure area sort of like Trisha’s story.
That’s why I laughed when I saw this photo. I’d been saving it with the intention of one day writing about loosing my bicycle(s). Today I read Letsgorideabike and learned about Trish loosing Pinkie, her bicycle…
Awwhh... the sting of loosing something and so vitally important, all came back to me. In my case, I hated to be forced to learn this lesson for the second time. You see, when I lost my previous bicycle, my vintage Raleigh Superb (after vigilantly combing ebay for weeks and weeks to find this beauty), I quit bicycle riding altogether.
Instead I ended up walking to all my locals. I took on a job position that required I commute many, many miles for my work. I hate to say it here but in the course of 8 weeks I put on 10,000 miles on the car my company rented for me. What was I doing? I longed for my simpler bicycle life. Get me out of a Car! I need to re-career!
Easier said than done; the re-careering part that is. Yet the pang of loosing my bicycle stuck with me far longer than I expected. I just lost interest in finding a bicycle I could get so passionate about…you know, I’d found just the right wicker basket and beautiful eco shopping bags to go on my bicycle. Doing all of that all over again seemed too daunting a process I couldn’t push myself into anytime soon.
So I waited. A couple few years passed. I still did work that required car travel and lots of it. Big, old shockeroo actually got me back on the car lite track. My car was sold off by a towing company (long story). I was away on Holiday, wasn’t paying attention, trusted a friend to keep me informed and was simply off enjoying myself…highly negligent, I know... My car was now history. But wait this leads back to getting a bicycle in my life again!
I still had work that required extensive travel, visiting multiple sites spread out over the entire Bay Area. So I used public transportation and walking… which created impossibly long hours just to factor in the extra travel time. I walked an average of 6 miles per day, PLUS travelled long hours on a combo of trains, buses, and electric cars. I did this for the better part of a year. I learned a lot about how people commute to work if they don’t drive a car. I met these people everyday. I got to know them. I watched commuters with bikes disembark and then sail past me, while I walked. I envied the efficiency of the bicycle! This ignited my passion for a bicycle!
So creatively, I developed my own personal art of (stylish, vintage clothes loving) bicycle riding and got it all dialed in. Yes, ride a bicycle, if only just to go to my locals (neighborhood cafes, shops ET all).
As fate would have it, I no longer do long commute trips for work. I mean, I do bike commute to my part timer/ start up company job, and it’s only over at the Digital Media Factory, which is not much of a commute. It’s Nothing…try getting over Red Mountain like Eliza over at BikeSkirt, or the dealing with freezing cold and how to dress for it according to Trisha/Letsgorideabike. Now that’s work.
p.s. everybody lock your bike at all times, garages included. Like Dottie/Letsgorideabike, my bicycle was stolen out of my garage. My other bike was stolen from a secure area sort of like Trisha’s story.
