I love 30 Days of Biking.
I love that it changes my way of thinking. Slowly, either/or questions like "Should I do [fill in the blank] or ride my bike?" get transformed into "I need to do [fill in the blank], I wonder if I can ride my bike?". By committing to ride every day, biking becomes a way to get somewhere rather than an activity to do. As a suburbanite, I think this change comes more slowly than if I lived in the city, but it still comes - at least a little. And I like it.
I love that it comes in April. One of the most common questions I get is "Why April?". And then the questioner gets even more agitated when they find out this all started in Minneapolis - so we have no one to blame but ourselves. While it's true that April hasn't been the most stellar of months lately, it is still the month where we see the most dramatic changes in the season. I love seeing the landscape change from brown to green from the seat of my bicycle. And learning to ride in inclement weather is a good thing. It challenges the mindset that we can only bike on sunny days. And once we get over that hurdle, we discover there is joy to be found on a bike, even on "those" days.
I love the community that 30 Days of Biking creates. It's not just for hard core bikers - it's for everyone. Several bike shops promotes group rides during the month, so it's easy to meet new people.
I love the commitment "ride your bike every day", even if it's only around the block. Was I successful? No. I missed a day. And I could be bummed about that. But that would miss the point entirely. The point is not to have a difficult accomplishment to point to and say "See how great I am - I did it". The point is to challenge the way we think about biking. The commitment is what helps us challenge our thinking. So I embrace the commitment. And if I miss a day, I don't dwell on it. I wake up the next morning with the commitment still intact.
Looking forward to celebrating another year of 30 Days of Biking at the Finale Dance Party!
