it’s not about the bike

about a year ago, i decided to buy a bike.

the week before i made the purchase, i had a dream about biking, where i was cruising along the burke-gilman trail past gasworks park. i had nowhere to go and nowhere i had to be, i could just enjoy the ride, the view, and the night. the dream turned into a daydream at work the next day — the happiness & calm i felt that night really startled me. it made me nostalgic for my childhood, where i spent much of my time biking with my brother in our relatively large back yard that doubled as a basketball court in the rainier valley. i loved rolling around with my training wheels, dorky helmet (that featured some cool pink streaks!), and stupid grin, chasin’ dennis around. that was a time when everything was perfect.

it was a total impulse buy. if i had thought it out more carefully, i wouldn’t have bought the bike. despite the fact that i hadn’t hopped on a bike since elementary school (and really didn’t know if i’d even like it now), i went to a sporting goods store near my parents house and dropped a couple hundred bucks on a cruddy mountain-road hybrid bike. fortunately for me, it was something i instantly loved.

when i’m biking, i’m 8 years old again. it’s tricky describing what it feels like to be a little kid again, but that feeling helps me think of god. at cgroup this past thursday, we were asked to share our spiritual practices. initially i had a difficult time: yes, i pray and i read my bible. sometimes, i do those things at alki beach to help me focus my thoughts. i read books and learn from friends and mentors. i enjoy solitude. but it hit me that there’s nothing i do that engages me more with god than ride my bike. maybe that disarming sensation you get while rolling around in tights also happens to make conversation with god a little bit more natural.