Cycle-ology: Cha-Cha-Changes
Aug. 31st, 2018 I returned my leased car and did not replace it with another car. So my adventures begin with other modes of transportation. Luckily, Elgin provides transportation options from buses, trains and river paths that connect to other towns. My husband has a vehicle and it is available to me when he is home from work, but for the most part we choose to cycle.
Giving up my car means more exercise and spending my dollar on things I love and support. Depending on my destination and the weather, I do utilize my dollar on the Pace and Metra options. I am very grateful for their services when the destination is not bike friendly or when I want to educate myself on Pace and Metra routes. I get pleasantly surprised with their plethora of destinations. Yet, on a daily basis, cycling is my preferred method because it gives me much more than just exercise.
Exercise is great, but there are other benefits when cycling. Scheduling constraints due to catching a bus or train is eliminated. When I eye-spy that book I’ve been looking for, catch a glimpse of a perfect outfit in a shop window, get another cup because a smiling face has engaged me in conversation… I can add on more minutes to enjoy the NOW; not check the time. I get to test my endurance in various weather situations then I celebrate my victories and learn from my failures. Failures are wonderful teachers. Feeling, seeing and hearing the outside can be described but words will never do justice. Never. Curious conversations have become a new normal among people on the street. Cycling makes me approachable and yes it mostly starts with “What kind of bike is that?” yet it often leads to their life stories, their desire to get out more, tales of when they did get out more, or simply just about the lovely day. The topic can vary but the look in their eyes is a child wearing a cape that is flapping in the wind.
Going from my car to bike has made my world much larger and I don’t have to go far. Changes are taking the pace I’m going through… Cha-Cha-Changes.