Trying to jazz up my Traveling at the Speed of Bike outings (limited to my 4 x 3 mile slice of suburbia during these COVID-19 shelter-in-place days), I put together a 14-mile loop yesterday that took me up and down hills past seven of my friends’ home (at which I tucked a little note in their mailboxes to say hi). At one stop, I saw my friend Angela in her garden and we blew kisses to each other. At the last stop, I got the chance to talk with my friends Joe and Kathleen (pictured) from a distance for probably at least thirty minutes. It was wonderful.
Joe is one of my city’s newest city councilors. He and Kathleen both were part of the citizen campaign we did a number of years ago to try to encourage city hall to make things safer for people of all ages and abilities. With Joe a decision-maker now, my hope is that will happen.
Kathleen, who has been riding her bike almost every day lately (mostly in her neighborhood, on sidewalks, or at the empty college campus in our city) offered these additional suggestions for dealing with shelter-in-place. She recommends:
- setting a daily goal for something to achieve around the house;
- drinking calming herbal tea;
- doing something to advance your career (like an online class — she’s a temporarily-out-of-work actor);
- and connecting with groups of people virtually (as well as through one-on-one phone calls, such as with old friends and her elderly mother).
Thanks, Joe and Kathleen. It matters. You matter. Even though I’m riding solo during these trying times, I hope to cross paths with you (and many more friends) again soon.
(Note: I also discovered many interesting Gifts to the Street, plus I met a guy with a parrot! Those stories to come.)
Traveling at the Speed of Bike 