Ride a Bike

Forget the political issues of the day. Forget the work that stares forever in your face. Forget that you have any problems at all. Ride a bike.

Today is a beautiful day. Sunshine and just the right temperature for going outdoors without a jacket and feeling very cool at the same time. As I drove down our street, I passed a young blonde-headed boy riding his bicycle. All by himself, he was braking in the gravel, causing his bike to swerve to the side. He was feeling no pressure of any kind. It was just the day, his bike and no worries.

As I watched him play on his bicycle I was all of a sudden back in Port Neches. I was around 8 years old with braids bouncing on my back as I rode my blue bicycle around my neighborhood. I remembered the carefree feeling of independence as I rode anywhere I wanted. Sometimes I just rode around the block numerous times. On other days I'd ride up to the high school or a couple of blocks uptown to buy a soda from the drug store. I recalled the excitement as I rounded the corner near my house, because that was where the black and white boston terrier lived. His name was "Bullger" and he would always chase me on my bicycle. I didn't like it and was afraid of the dog, yet I was pushed to beat him and outride his approaches. I still recall my heart pumping fast as I would outride him and see him go back into his yard. Victory!

Still, the thing I thought of most as I watched the young boy ride his bike this morning was the freedom he felt to just simply ride. Ah, the joys of childhood. For a moment I was blessed to glimpse back into a simpler time.