Beat down by fever on the playground Tuesday afternoon, Citizen Mama has been holed up with cold compresses & cranky kids for two days. Sleep Deprivation and general malaise amongst the ranks put her in dire need of encouragement from her fan club.
Go, Citizen Mama, GO!
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Celebration Ride!
"From this hour, I hereby ordain myself loos'd of all limits and imaginary lines"
-Walt Whitman, "Song of Myself"
We did it!
I never knew how many bones there are alongside the roads I drove. I never realized how hilly the city is in which I live. I never realized how steep the drop off is along Cherokee Rd. Pushing the bike up the steepest length of Riverside Dr, hauling the Burley packed with two grumpy kids, sweat dripping in my eyes, dry mouth, shaking legs, seeing the James River burst into view from the crest of the hill was like paradise. It suddenly seemed as if I had burst through my own skin and discovered Life on the other side. I had this feeling often yesterday, of pushing through a membrane surrounding my body and discovering the world, a raw, edible, life essence just outside.
The sounds of biking are different than the sounds of driving. Mostly it is birdsong and wind. Gravel and gears. The things you see are different, too. Everything goes by so slowly; I saw the ripple of a squirrel's muscles as he froze at the edge of the road. I smelled cigarette smoke from inside a car as it passed me going the opposite direction. I don't know how to say this other than this ride was like pulling myself from the Matrix. There are all sorts of things out here that I never knew.
I was completely inspired (as well as thoroughly jacked up on endorphins) after our trip to the playground yesterday. We pulled into the driveway, the girls both asleep in the bike cart, and I collapsed under a tree. I was ecstatic and exhausted. 11lbs of CO2 and an enormous sense of self-satisfaction.
We left home about 11am, and I estimated that the 5.5 mile trip would take us about 30 minutes. HA! This is the first great lesson: there will be no more "quick trips" on bicycle. It was a solid hour before we arrived, but the welcome we received was incredible. To be greeted so joyously by a playground full of my favorite mamas was a delicious reward. This trip is probably the longest I will attempt for now, but one really positive aspect is that it makes everything else seem really close! Passing through a friend's neighborhood 3 miles from our home, knowing that we were barely halfway to the playground gave me a real sense that more is within our reach than I had thought possible. I feel confident now in saying that, starting today, I will be limiting my drive time to just two "car days" per week, Monday through Friday. Eventually, I am hoping to achieve just one car day per seven-day week. This is a formidable goal for this city, but one I feel excited to undertake.
I am so curious what I will discover through this adventure. Already, my mind is bending around what I took for granted about getting places. How hard will it really be? Will the exhaustion eventually take the place of this novelty? Will the ecstasy be replaced by drudgery? In all probability, yes. This is not the solution. I cannot simply throw away my car and choose to bike everywhere we would usually go. But this how I will begin to free myself from the limits of my imagination. Each moment, each choice I make, the challenge is to stay awake and remember things are not always what they seem.
-Walt Whitman, "Song of Myself"
We did it!
I never knew how many bones there are alongside the roads I drove. I never realized how hilly the city is in which I live. I never realized how steep the drop off is along Cherokee Rd. Pushing the bike up the steepest length of Riverside Dr, hauling the Burley packed with two grumpy kids, sweat dripping in my eyes, dry mouth, shaking legs, seeing the James River burst into view from the crest of the hill was like paradise. It suddenly seemed as if I had burst through my own skin and discovered Life on the other side. I had this feeling often yesterday, of pushing through a membrane surrounding my body and discovering the world, a raw, edible, life essence just outside.
The sounds of biking are different than the sounds of driving. Mostly it is birdsong and wind. Gravel and gears. The things you see are different, too. Everything goes by so slowly; I saw the ripple of a squirrel's muscles as he froze at the edge of the road. I smelled cigarette smoke from inside a car as it passed me going the opposite direction. I don't know how to say this other than this ride was like pulling myself from the Matrix. There are all sorts of things out here that I never knew.
I was completely inspired (as well as thoroughly jacked up on endorphins) after our trip to the playground yesterday. We pulled into the driveway, the girls both asleep in the bike cart, and I collapsed under a tree. I was ecstatic and exhausted. 11lbs of CO2 and an enormous sense of self-satisfaction.
We left home about 11am, and I estimated that the 5.5 mile trip would take us about 30 minutes. HA! This is the first great lesson: there will be no more "quick trips" on bicycle. It was a solid hour before we arrived, but the welcome we received was incredible. To be greeted so joyously by a playground full of my favorite mamas was a delicious reward. This trip is probably the longest I will attempt for now, but one really positive aspect is that it makes everything else seem really close! Passing through a friend's neighborhood 3 miles from our home, knowing that we were barely halfway to the playground gave me a real sense that more is within our reach than I had thought possible. I feel confident now in saying that, starting today, I will be limiting my drive time to just two "car days" per week, Monday through Friday. Eventually, I am hoping to achieve just one car day per seven-day week. This is a formidable goal for this city, but one I feel excited to undertake.
I am so curious what I will discover through this adventure. Already, my mind is bending around what I took for granted about getting places. How hard will it really be? Will the exhaustion eventually take the place of this novelty? Will the ecstasy be replaced by drudgery? In all probability, yes. This is not the solution. I cannot simply throw away my car and choose to bike everywhere we would usually go. But this how I will begin to free myself from the limits of my imagination. Each moment, each choice I make, the challenge is to stay awake and remember things are not always what they seem.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Rome was not built in one day
It all started with the polar bear. The "Planet Earth" (brilliant BBC/Discovery channel show we were watching while on vacation) polar bear who swims until he is completely exhausted, unable to find solid ice to hunt seals from. I'll spare you the gut wrenching details, but eventually, he curls up to die of starvation. I will not go peacefully forward from this moment unchanged. I will go home from this vacation and mount a polar bear on my bicycle and set out to do things differently. This is my inner call to arms, so to speak; strong tan arms which can bike 5.5 miles each way to tomorrow's play date rather than take the car. 11 lbs of CO2. That's what my car trip to the playground is worth. The inner debate is fierce:
usual self: "You have two small kids. This is dangerous. You'll be so tired. It's gonna be really hot tomorrow. What if you get there and don't have the strength to get home? (how embarrassing.) What if it rains? etc. etc."
inspired radical self: "What a great message to send the world; that it isn't all about personal convenience, that you are willing to lay something on the line to make change happen. You will be safe, you are a great biker, you are strong, you can do it! There's only one way to find out... etc. etc.
This is the debate raging within. How fierce am I? How willing? Am I as ready for change as I claim to be? My high school creative writing teacher was adamant about one thing: SHOW don't TELL. I must show myself what lies beyond the comfort zone, and perhaps then I can show others as well. Perhaps it will be as exhilarating as that first day back from vacation, biking 6 miles to take my preschooler to a friend's house instead of using the car. 6 lbs of CO2. The wind on my face, the rhythm of my breath as I climbed the steepest hill... Don't let that ice be melting so fast on my account. I can do things different. Somethings, anythings. I can start here, right now, planning my day tomorrow without my car.
usual self: "You have two small kids. This is dangerous. You'll be so tired. It's gonna be really hot tomorrow. What if you get there and don't have the strength to get home? (how embarrassing.) What if it rains? etc. etc."
inspired radical self: "What a great message to send the world; that it isn't all about personal convenience, that you are willing to lay something on the line to make change happen. You will be safe, you are a great biker, you are strong, you can do it! There's only one way to find out... etc. etc.
This is the debate raging within. How fierce am I? How willing? Am I as ready for change as I claim to be? My high school creative writing teacher was adamant about one thing: SHOW don't TELL. I must show myself what lies beyond the comfort zone, and perhaps then I can show others as well. Perhaps it will be as exhilarating as that first day back from vacation, biking 6 miles to take my preschooler to a friend's house instead of using the car. 6 lbs of CO2. The wind on my face, the rhythm of my breath as I climbed the steepest hill... Don't let that ice be melting so fast on my account. I can do things different. Somethings, anythings. I can start here, right now, planning my day tomorrow without my car.
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