Bicycles. Who knew?

I feel like I'm the last person to discover that bicycles unlock super powers. I was under the misconception that they are simply a means of getting from A to B.

I have read often and often of the exponential benefits of riding a bike. Mr Money Mustache and The Escape Artist in particular are vocal on this subject. I have always loved the idea of cycling, but the thought of actually getting on a bike was still pretty scary - especially in London.

So I talked about getting a bike but never actually did anything about it. And lo! My boyfriend observed this, and decided to act - he bought me a bike for my birthday present. This was an awesome idea, but until last week still a slightly theoretical one.

Since last week, I have been cycling to work and back most days - and it's transformed so much more than my commute.

Benefits of bikes - the obvious:

1. Free commuting. Duh. This was one of my main motivations - smashing my Oyster card (aka public transport network) spending to smithereens.

2. More exercise and more free time. Hard to fit into the average day. Why not use the commute instead? Especially as cycling gets me to work and back faster than the bus.

Benefits of bikes - the unexpected:

1. Determination and improved problem solving. Screw you, rain, I'm not letting you get in the way of my lovely commute. Flat tyre? Internet plus bike shop equals restored speed.

2. Skills. Gradually getting the hang of pumping a tyre, and wanting to understand how the gear thingummybob works. Feeling less ignorant and more smug each time I 'unlock' another function. (And no need to defeat a boss to level up!)

3. Energy. My morning cycle is the equivalent of a triple espresso shot when it comes to waking me up and getting my blood pumping. (But also has much better impact on both wallet and health than a daily triple espresso...)

4. Better separation between home and work. During my cycle home, I focus on the road, the bike, the burn going up hill and the sense of flying as I coast down the other side. By the time I get home, I have completely unplugged from work. 

5. Independence. It sounds silly, but now I hate waiting at the bus stop. Why do I have to wait for someone else to come and collect me - when the bike means my departure and arrival time are entirely down to my choice and my leg muscles?

Any more unexpected benefits of cycling that you've discovered?

Small Differences

So today, for a variety of small reasons all mounting up, I've been feeling a bit down. The fates have an acute sense of timing, and I will find myself unemployed in a terrifyingly short space of time at a moment when I really can't run back to my parents place and hide under the covers, which has always been my Plan B up to this point. It's not just that I can't, but that I don't want to be dependent on them. I want to find a way to make the life I want in the place I want, which right now is here. However, the Gods of the Job Market have their own priorities right now, which include laughing in my face a lot.

As a by-product of this, budgeting is getting tighter and tighter, and I'm looking towards a summer in which I will struggle to eat a balanced diet, and it certainly won't be organic. The budget has also proved a stumbling block in some of my other project areas. For example, growing my own food: I need to invest in containers and potting compost, as I can't compost my kitchen scraps (grrrrlandlordgrrrrrr) and also in seeds and seedlings. I've got some growing, but they'll need potting up into larger containers at some point, and I might just have to risk the landlord's wrath and plant them on the edge of the lawn. I'd love to make my own clothes and soft-furnishings, but as I don't have any worn out clothes to play with, I'd have to buy fabrics, and I'd also have to buy a sewing machine. (More on my lustings after a Singer sewing machine later).

All this means that many of the things that make me smile and feel that I'm making a difference in the world, many of the projects which were making me skip with anticipation, will have to be put on hold for probably a good long while. Although I will almost certainly be asking Father Christmas for a Singer sewing machine for Christmas.

However, I was procrastinating by reading some of the old posts on No Impact Man's blog, and thinking gloomily that the tea in my mug was neither fair-trade nor organic, and could only be called local in comparison to Mars. And I came across this post. It's a beautiful parable, and I'm going to ask myself to think of one thing I've done each week which has made a small difference.

This week, I cycled to work instead of taking the tram. That's a small change, but a change.

Facing the fear

I feel like the beneficiary of what is, as those who know me would readily testify, a small miracle. It is a very simple thing: I have had two solid days of focus, productivity and, I think largely as a result of that, satisfaction. I feel happier and lighter (in a worries-weighing-on-me way, not a post-Christmas-diet way) than I have in a depressingly long time. So three cheers for early mornings and crossing things off the to-do list.

One example of this list is my bicycle. As part of my efforts to live a greener lifestyle, I brought my bicycle over a couple of months ago. However, very soon some bright spark of a student at the school I work at lowered the seat and let some air out of my tyres while I was teaching. I didn't realise this until I was halfway home, me not being the most technically-minded of human beings. (Hang on, something isn't quite right with this bike. What is it? It's not the handlebars, it's not the pedals...)

I came equipped with pump and bike spanner, but I hit a snag. I had never done any kind of maintenance work on my bike myself - I usually turn it over to my dad or to a professional paid for by my dad. (Ditto my old car). I was - deepbreathconfessiontime - afraid. I didn't think I would be able to figure it out, let alone do it right. So the bicycle has sat in the corner, looking at me reproachfully, and has figured in ever more strident terms (Bicycle! BICYCLE!! BIKE!!!!!) on my to-do list. This evening, I took a deep breath, hauled the bike into the living room (biggest floor space) and had a look at the pump. And lo and behold, it was easy! The bike is now ready to be ridden to all my appointments for the next week (snow depending), thus saving me (a) the walk or (b) the tram fare.

Talk about a lesson in having a go. It's so silly to worry about such a simple little task, and yet this procrastination is something I do over and over again. Hopefully this good streak will last the week. That is my goal. Is it achievable? Well, I've only eaten three biscuits today, which is brilliant for me, so this may be a good sign.