Originally Posted by
GodsBassist
Yes! This is one of my favorite parts of cycling, especially with my son. I know the people who live on our route to his school. We've been invited to bon fires, we pet the dogs on the way. There's a guy I see at the train station every day who didn't know how to fix his bike, so last weekend he and I met up and I adjusted his brake calipers and derailleurs. It turns out some of the neighbors work at a BBQ place right next door and now we get free samples.
I have a much richer experience of my community and the people who live in the vicinity of my apartment complex because we aren't insulated from them when we travel. I guess the path we take to his school and then my work every day are a path instead of a hurdle, and the people along the way are likewise seen differently.
I meet more people when I travel with my young grandson. He is one to pet every dog and talk to every stranger and try out every park bench. When he was real young, he would even sit on the benches with the homeless guys drinking out of paper bags. I would just hold my breath and watch him like a hawk, but nothing bad ever happened. The guys usually got a kick out of talking with him for a few minutes. I'm more outgoing with strangers now because of his example.