I Can Ride my Bike with No Handlebars

My son wanted a nerf gun for Christmas. That's cool and all, but I don't really do nerf guns. Maybe you notice I ride bikes? I decided that what I wanted to give him was a bike. He grows so fast! This week was a whole makeover - new glasses, new haircut, new bike. He was a whole new man.

At first he didn't love the bike I chose. I thought he could still be satisfied with the simple criteria: two wheels plus pedals. My choice was also in a steel frame, disc brakes, and sora components. It was a deal -- and way too big... and maybe not cool enough? Feeling a little depleted in the value of my choice, I took him back to the bike shop. I was pretty convinced he was going to just return it. I don't even know what we bought.  No idea the type of components, and I would have to go down to the garage to recall the brand. While we were there, his love of bikes revived.

He doesn't know it, and please don't tell him so I can still hold out for some additional chores-in-lieu-of-presents, but this was the perfect gift for Christmas. My child is riding bikes with enthusiasm again! Here's us the next morning getting bagels for breakfast.

Care Bear Stare

The election results were a shock. It baffles the mind. Without indulging the frustration and details, I read comments about want to live by example.

My daughter woke up next to me and I told her, "there's some bad news in the world, but I want you to know it's going to be ok."

She replied, "Trump won, didn't he?"

"Yes, and it's going to be ok. We are going to keep being us. We are going to be even better versions of ourselves. We are going to show love and kindness. We are going to treat people with kindness regardless of how they look or act. We are going to watch and make decisions for ourselves."

"But we've never seen his real skin color!"

"It would hurt if somebody said something like that about me." [I might have had to suppress a smile.]

She understood quickly and was ok with this for a bit. Then she said, "What if he stops letting women work?"

"That's not going to happen" [because he wouldn't want to have to support me without a j-o-b.] "Do you remember your care bear? Do you remember the cartoon show? When the bears were afraid, they joined together and they sent out light from their hearts, and everything was ok."

She was ok with this for a bit too. "We still have the electoral college on December 9."

"That's probably not going to change anything."

And she cried. [gut punch]

Fast forward: Driving home tonight, this beautiful rainbow appeared on top of a pink sky. It appeared to be bright, radiant light erupting from the sunset. I edited up the saturation to match my memory of the moment. This happened about the time I read some words from Hillary. As soon as I got my baby girl in front of me again, I delivered the message.

To all the little girls watching...never doubt that you are valuable and powerful & deserving of every chance & opportunity in the world.

I choose to love. I will choose to do good things. My little girl is forever watchful, hopeful, and worthy. Care Bear Stare.

NC HB959 - FOUR Feet Please

As a driver, I don't want to share my lane with anything else. The lane I am traveling in at the time I am traveling is mine. I feel the same way when I'm on a bike. I appreciate it when a driver gives a full pass by taking measures to pass me as if they are overtaking any other vehicle.

Wait for a clear view and passing distance, cross all the way into the other lane, and then cross back into the forward moving lane. 

Gosh this sounds nice. If we use this as a basis for passing, it becomes easier to understand a two column pace line. It's a shorter pass, and it's easier on the athletes. And man, yay. Thanks for being courteous. Well, you can imagine that rarely happens. You can tell when a driver also rides bikes.

A really exciting law change came up in North Carolina. House Bill 959 has granted us a number of safety protections. The first of these laws went into effect on October 1st, and allows drivers to pass bicycles or mopeds in no passing zones with at least 4 feet of clearance. 

The rest of the changes take effect on December 1st, and include a law requiring cyclists to have a rear light (in addition to the already required front light) or wear reflective clothing that is visible from at least 300 feet, the official recognition of the right hand turn signal, and harsher penalties and fines for drivers who cause a cyclist to run off the road, change lanes, or crash.

Are you ready? I'm ready.

A photo posted by @heartspoken.ninja on Mar 8, 2016 at 2:44pm PST

Bike to School

The ride to school today has been a long time coming. I thought they would just naturally want to ride their bikes because the freedom is so great. Turns out, getting driven is easier. Traffic as it is, I have been inclined to oblige their whims.

Our new place tho? Totally bike-able. Boy has been asking for an apple watch which I told him (a) he could have if he could keep up with all of his things and (b) he would need to have if he was biking to school all the time.

And so this day happened. Some people look forward to first steps or graduating from kindergarten - this is my proud mama moment. My son biked to school for the first time.

Over the Edge

I signed on with my company in part because of the good they do in the world. The mission and the work have been such a good fit for me. When they said, "who wants to rappel down a building?" I raised my hand. Holy moly, is this what they meant?!

They did mean that. The easy emotion for me was to get excited about it - this is a core part of my personality. Getting geared up? Walking out on to the roof? I was a different person. I was feeble. I let the guides do their work. I was the body on the rope, but they were kind and patient souls getting me to the ground.

The part that changed me was getting a medal from an Olympiad. He talked about how he likes to play basketball in addition to track and field events. He is the brave one.

Gifts

For a variety of reasons, I found myself walking to and from the school a lot today. Part of my story is my son. He is wonderful and challenging. He is as hot as the sun. He's mesmerizing with his brains and beauty, but he can't always keep his emotions between the lines. Bit like his mama.

This morning was a hard one, but then on the way home he found a butterfly. It had died where it flew, and he spotted it perfectly in tact. His brother protected it until we got home. His sister kept the dog from eating it.

Did I mention he had poetry homework? Here is what he wrote...

I am a smart boy who like sharks

I wonder what life will be like for our descendants who will live thousands of years from now

I hear my fan at night

I see a good life ahead with lots of mistakes and successes

I want to have an impact on those around me

I am a smart boy who likes sharks

I pretend that I am well known and revered in the world

I feel powerless when I hear about loss

I touch other people’s lives when I do something for charity

I worry that life will pass me by without me doing anything

I cry when I hear about how much poverty there is in the world

I am a smart boy who likes sharks

I understand that I can’t do something for everything that happens in the world

I say that I can do almost anything if I put my mind to it

I dream that there were a decent life for everybody

I try to make an impact on my peers

I hope that life will get better for everybody

I am a smart boy who likes sharks

Wheels

When I first learned to ride my bike, my brother and I rode loops around my dad's condo parking lot. We timed the laps like a crit race, because it was a really short loop. I can remember sliding out in a sandy spot beside a speed bump leaving road rash on the inside of my elbow, all down my hip, and blood dripping from my knee. We kept riding tho.

Last weekend I saw a boy on the street. This is big news because my son has been without street friends since we moved to the new house. Maybe you don't remember how important street friends are? Trust me. They are important, and I celebrated. Every time the dog barked, I hollered to my son that somebody was on the street. Was it his future street friend? Go! Get your bike! Go see who it is!

The week came and went. The elusive boy on bike was not met. Sunday he asked, "Mom, will you take me down to the new people at that house?"

"What if I make cookies?"

"Then he'll definitely be my friend."