Spring comes with much delight. As it smiles, it spreads its joy: in the tree leaves, green grasses and the vibrant flowers; in the birds, butterflies and squirrels; in the blue skies, sparkling streams and tepid air; and naturally in us. Spring also comes with much freedom: freedom for the flowers to blossom, for the once naked trees to dance openly without a shame, for the birds to wander afar, for the burrowers to play outside and for us to enjoy all these beauties. While they have their own ways of enjoying the beauty of spring, we like to walk, run, hike and bike. Biking has been a fun side of my life since spring.
When I think about biking I go back to the time when I first learned to ride it. I was around 10 years old when my brother and I rented a bike from a bike-shop (Rs 15 or approximately 2 cents for an hour). I sat on the back seat, tightly held my brother riding the bike, and went off to a nearby open field for the day’s lesson. It was now my turn to sit on the front seat. As I sat and had a good grip on the handles, my brother held the bike in position and on the count of three he gave a gentle push from the behind. Interestingly enough, I could keep going without a fall. I had seen my brother ride the bike and had ridden with him but I had never thought it would come to me that easily. From this incident I had always been very hopeful about learning to do new things, thinking very presumptuously that everything would come easily to me. Unfortunately, even after taking a semester long swimming class, I cannot float on water; I have found that playing piano is not as easy as it looks; the next test in the line is driving and I wonder how many crashes I will have to go through before I can drive in the streets. Although I have fallen from my bike multiple times and bruised numerous parts of my body, I can always boast that biking came naturally to me.
The joy of biking to me comes from the liberty it provides me to look the world from different eyes; to go to places where walking isn’t feasible; to challenge myself to ride up and down the hills and through narrow and wide streets; and to discover new places. It also provides me the liberty to enjoy nature in the friendliest manner. As I cycle the pedals and as the wheels stride, the gust of air hits my face and traverses through my hair and I get elated. I get elated when I hold my head high and behold the passing from heightened levels.
What sets biking apart from any other physical activity is its amusement. It can be tiring but there is fun involved. It may seem solitary but the world surrounds you. One can relate life to a bike ride; the road to walk is topsy-turvy; the best way to reach our destination is to pace ourselves, have a firm grip on the handles, make the right turns at the right time and most importantly enjoy every second of the ride throughout.
Bike this summer/fall and live a mentally/ physically sound lifestyle while the warm weather is still in hand. May 17-21 is ‘Bike to work week’. Take a break from your four wheelers!
