Commuting - Wealth

Used to be, when I drove home from work, I was closed up in my car, hiding from the world. Racing to get home so I could enjoy
some of the things money can buy, everything that got in my way was an irritant.

Now, riding my bike home, the ride itself is my reward. Everything I used to ignore becomes a wealth of experiences for me, from the beautiful trees and the clouds in the sky to the laughing of children playing. The things I used to race home to enjoy pale in comparison to these. And they cost me nothing, just the price of paying attention.

I've also noticed that the atmospheric temperature seems to be about 10 to 15 degrees cooler when I'm on my bike. Everyone I work with is always complaining about how hot it gets. I'm the only person in the office who doesn't seem to mind a little warmth.

Right you are, AF. The last few mornings I have walked out my front door to be greeted by warm, muggy air. But once I get on my bike and start moving, I am nice and cool. Well, at least for the first 10-15 minutes until I hit warmup and the sweat starts to flow. Another real thing.
Raymond

Of all bicycling related things which most enriched my life and still cost nothing, the most significant has been the instruction and friendship from my 84 year old friend, Johnny.

I met him years ago before I knew much of anything about fixing bikes. Johnny was kind enough to teach me for hours at a time. He has 200 bikes of all kinds in his shop and always has something new coming in. He can fix anything and knows a good machine when he sees it.

The neat thing is that Johnny is such a fascinating story teller that it is fun just to hang around with him tinkering with bikes and listening to him talk about a life that started in 1917.

Bicycling has enriched my life tremendously, but much of it is due to the kindness of the man who taught me how to repair my own bicycles. This skill really allowed me to go virtually car-free and maximize my bicycling interest.

I applaud this high-quality, deeply impacting post, Mike.

Passing the torch!

I wish guys like Johnny could be on the front pages of our newspapers at least along with, or maybe even in place of, some of the--shall I be polite and say "riff-raff"?--that wind up there.

You're very lucky to have such a friend.

There seems to be something cruel to put up with commuting in a car only to arrive at work and spend an enormous amount of hours earning the money to pay car loans, auto insurance, gasoline, licenses, city stickers, maintenance and repair.

Biking to work allows one to escape the cruel trick that the auto industry plays on us.

Originally posted by ViciousCycle

Biking to work allows one to escape the cruel trick that the auto industry plays on us.
Except that we still have to breathe those fumes! And hear the noise... And sometimes get run over...

One of the most painful things about being laid off for many months is that I no longer have my bike commute. It's true that I could take a break from the job search web sites and ride around, but it's not the same thing. I really miss the hour or so of invigoration coming in and the hour or so of decompression coming out--all the while passing the long lines of cars bogged down in the rush hour(s).

Much to the dismay of the auto/fossil fuel/health indurstries, we bikers are doing something positive in our lives.

I still maintain my stable of motor vehicles, but since they now get used less, they are going to last longer! I buy all my gas at a local station, and they bill me once a month. Last month, $203, this month, $112!! And, I am getting into much better shape, so I am going to last longer too!

Talk about wealth...money saved on fuel and repairs, and, most importantly my much improved physical and mental condition! Add to that the wealth of experiences alluded to in Petes' original post, and biking is really a win/win/win undertaking! Live long and spin!

It's strange that I come to work refreshed after my commute. All I want is some cool water and maybe half of a Powerbar. Everyone else is grumpy and heads straight for the coffee and snacks. I guess being "imprisoned" in your car for 30 to 60 minutes does that. Yet I don't remember being that way. :confused:

I too agree that riding makes me more tolerant of the heat/humidity.

UncaStuart,
I hear you! I'm 56 and last year got a taste of corporate downsizing. I was unemployed for 9 months. It seems that no one wants to hire anyone older than 45. When I did find a job, I had to settle for a 45% smaller paycheck. Bummer. :thumbdn:

To address your comment about missing the commute and taking a break from job searching, I felt the same way. Maybe I was wallowing in self-pity for a while. Who knows? Anyway, I decide early-on that getting out and riding every day was what I needed to boost my low self-esteem. I dropped 30 pounds last summer and completed my first metric century. Those kinds of accomplishments are great image boosters.
Good luck in your job search and keep riding. :thumbup:

Ron

I love the stuff I see when I ride to and from work. I've always hated missing the smells and close up look at the scene around me while in an auto.

Jonathan

I have an absolutely beautiful commute along side the Pacific Ocean in Eastern Australia. I wouldn't miss it for the world. In the summer, there are even a few temptations of the opposite gender for a young single male as well.

Chris

Originally posted by RonH

I hear you! I'm 56 and last year got a taste of corporate downsizing. I was unemployed for 9 months. It seems that no one wants to hire anyone older than 45. When I did find a job, I had to settle for a 45% smaller paycheck. Bummer. :thumbdn:



It makes me absolutely sick to see how corporate America abuses it's workforce and most especially the 50+ workforce. The way industry inhales and spits out employees with total disregard for any loyalty is terrible.

Within the next ten years, American industry will be starving for seasoned experienced workers with some shred of work ethics and loyalty. The new generation of workers coming up is going to teach us all a lesson we won't soon forget.

I am sorry to hear about you guys getting the axe. It is not fair, it is not ethical, and it usually doesn't even make good business sense.

Originally posted by mike

I am sorry to hear about you guys getting the axe. It is not fair, it is not ethical, and it usually doesn't even make good business sense.
You said it. I retired of my own accord (and was begged not to, and then later begged to come back), but repeatedly I see happening what's described here--there will indeed come a day of reckoning....