Donald Miller Was Right
Recently, I had to retire my car. It had nothing to do with Donald Miller’s A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, but due to my financial situation, and a general desire to stay out of debt I decided to put off the purchase of a car and learn about how to do life on a bike.
Here are a few lessons I’ve learned:
- Life on a bike has a lot of little expenses. Besides the bike, a commuter needs racks and panniers, lights and reflective. Although I’m not incurring any car expenses, this has so far offset any savings.
- Life on a bike requires preparation. You don’t just leave. You get dressed, get packed, double check you have everything you, put on your helmet, then leave.
- Leave time to cool down. Especially if you’re a sweaty beast like me.
- Riding a bike reminds you how everything is connected. Miller talks about how his cross country bike trip made the world seem smaller. Driving a car somehow warps space and time in a way that makes everything seem so separated. When you have to use your own physical strength to get somewhere, you see how one thing leads to another.
- You have to say no to some things. If I can’t bike there in under an hour, I probably won’t go. It’s hard, but probably good.
- Enjoy the ride. Take in the scenery, the smells and the sunshine. Things we forget when rolling down the highway in our sealed, air-conditioned bubbles.
