Can't say exactly when I decided I was gonna do this, all I remember was getting on a plane in Chicago headed home after a hellish bout of finals, and then getting off with some kind of vague fantasy trip twinkling in my eye. Probably all that staring out the window onto the plains. Makes you wonder what you're missing down there.
Funny enough, I was late to the bicycle. I couldn't hardly ride one without training wheels till I was nine, which is pretty late to the game as far as I know. But once I was on it, boy was I outta there. The bike was the ultimate ticket to freedom. Endless summer days cruising the streets, feelin like you own the place, or rollin over to your buddy's place and cruisin in a pack... there's not much better than that- especially with some cards in the spokes, rumbling like a Harley. So if it gave me all that freedom back then, why not now. I'm always looking for an excuse to bring back my childhood glory.
And I suppose there's another side to this wish. As one of Mother Nature's sons, I can't help but feel sometimes that there are things outside of my control in the modern life that I am so often forced to live. Coming from a privileged background such as my own, going to college was was almost taken for granted, and it just so happened that the one that I thought was right for me was on the other coast. That means at a minimum, four cross-country plane trips a year, which for someone that can't hardly stand not recycling a plastic bag, or keeping the lights on when I'm not in the room, is a heavy burden on the conscience. So it may not be practical, but it's one way to reduce the carbon by one flight, and pay it forward a bit.
Thanks for reading, more on the way.
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