Rides 2/10: what's that buzzing sound

I'm always struck by how leisurely bike commuting can be when you let it. Sometimes circumstances intrude, circumstances well beyond your control, and those have a way of ramping you up with unwanted adrenaline or bringing you down with a sad realization about your lack of proper space on the road or others' unwillingness to share what little there is of it with you. But most of the time, the hum drum times, the only thing getting in the way of an enjoyable leisurely bike commute is yourself. Today I managed to get out of my own way.

I think what helped is that I dressed like a mostly normal person. I wore a winter hat instead of a helmet. I skipped bike shoes. I went slower than normal, both in and on the way home, though I think I made it home faster than I normally do since I went a more direct way. I sang to myself that Roony song. I'm waitin', waitin' for nothin'. 

There are so many ways that bicyclists can find their best and happiest bicycling selves. For some, it's dressing up special and going fast. For others, it's going a long ways, too long a ways, and feeling in their legs and lungs how far they are from home. Maybe it's a bike party, a rolling fete, for you.

I like dressing up like a normal person. I like singing to myself. I like my 45 minutes of nothing in particular. Not every three quarters of an hour needs to be something in particular. Sometimes it can just be wending through the city, outside but inside.