The holiday season is here. The beaches are filling up with people who would normally be working or studying, and children who would usually be at school. Conversations start or close with “what are you doing for Christmas?” or “will you be at home or are you going away?” The air-conditioned shopping centres are filling with people escaping the heat and buying gifts for their friends, relatives and loved ones.
Yes, the xmas gift. This brings a complication to my experiment. Even though the gifts I plan to buy are small in size and easily carried, not everything is within walking distance or within easy reach by bike. That four-letter word that could tangle my experiment is not a profanity in response to this quandary. It’s not even “gift” or “xmas”. It’s Ikea.
There are some gifts that I’d like to buy from Ikea. So what’s the problem? Well, Ikea isn’t ‘just down the road’. It’s 71.6 kilometres away – a fifty minute drive by car, three hours twenty by bus/train/bus and four hours fifteen by bike (thanks GoogleMaps ☺). Another option I researched was bike/train/bike. I can take my bike on the train if travelling on an off-peak train (9.30am-3pm). That journey (one-way) would involve at least fifty minutes by bike to the train station, forty minutes on the train, followed by seventeen minutes on my bike, at a cost of $20 for the round trip. Whichever way, it’s not easy to get there.
So I’ve been thinking, perhaps I’ll just find these gifts somewhere else, somewhere closer. That will solve it. Yet, in some ways it won’t because I like Ikea. And it’s not just because of the cinnamon rolls.
I like the premise on which Ikea operates – do more with less. I like the focus on good design, the creativity it inspires, the affordability of the products, the focus on renewable materials, and I like the socially inclusive style of what I read and see at Ikea. For these reasons and others, I like exchanging my money for an Ikea product. It resonates with what I value.
So now that I think some more, perhaps a drive in the car is worth it for this journey.
Coffee and cinnamon roll, anyone?
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This week I was asked if I’m enjoying the experiment. My immediate response then, and now, is a resounding Yes! I feel it’s giving me a focus that is quite healthy for me at present. You see a couple of months ago I was told my teaching contract wouldn’t be renewed.
It was a casual part-time contract for teaching academic writing at Southern Cross University. I’d been teaching there for three years and, every three months I’d receive a fresh contract to teach a new group of students. These students were preparing for entering an undergraduate degree. Some were fresh from school, some in their mid-twenties, some young mums and dads, and some were in their forties and fifties. Whatever age and from whatever work, social or economic background they came from, all of them shared a common desire to find a new direction and, for many, being involved in this program was a step to reinvent their lives. It was inspiring to work with them.
So, without the contract for teaching, I stepped into a gap where I had fewer commitments and plenty of time. It was time to rewire my life.
While out riding last week, I saw a sandwich board sign with a quote written in chalk: “If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door”. I smiled because that’s exactly what I’m doing. This experiment is a doorway to channel my skills in writing, my joy of bike-riding, my interest in living sustainably, and my desire to experience and promote personal change, for myself and others.
This project is a good fit for me. I’m glad that I’ve built the door. So, am I enjoying the experiment? Yes!
Although, as with any experiment, what will happen and where it will lead is a big unknown. Sometimes that’s a little daunting and my mind runs with questions. Will it be a waste of time? Will anyone be interested? Will I be able to stick with it?
I’ve decided the most practical thing I can do is to turn up each day, be present and follow my inspiration as each day unfolds. I hope you’ll follow my journey as I ride my way through the seasons.
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Any good experiment needs some statistics to make some sense of what’s going on.
Since starting this experiment, I’ve been recording some facts about my cycling trips: where I rode, why, how far it was, how long I took and for a bit of fun, the maximum speed I rode (which at present is 45.2 km/hour! It was downhill with a tailwind – I had very little choice but to go fast ☺).
Here’s a snapshot of some interesting stats from the first two weeks:
- I rode a total of 203 kilometres.
- About 93 kilometres were to places where I would usually drive the car.
- Each week there were car journeys that I chose not to take because it would be too difficult to ride by bike or because I realised I didn’t really need to go there anyway.
- I drove the car twice: once to collect the new bike rack and once to a wedding. That’s right.. a wedding and riding the bike eleven kilometres to the wedding in winds around 25 knots (or 50km/hour) with a chance of rain, dressed for a wedding just wasn’t going to work out!
As I keep this cycling log, I’m learning that some days across two or three small trips – to the shops, the gym, the beach – I can easily ride up to 15 kilometres in a single day. It all adds up and means I’m getting some really good exercise along the way.
If you enjoyed this story, click ‘Yes email me new stories‘ and receive new stories straight into your email inbox 🙂 If you know other people who might enjoy it, use the icons below to share this story with them on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Google+, LinkedIn or via email. You can also read the About page to find out how this bike riding experiment began and why I’m doing it.
a bike for all seasons 