Great story, great observations, Leah. You are such an inspiration to those around you, and to us here. Than may sound corny, but it's true! Steve
On Saturday, March 23, 2019 at 2:15:37 AM UTC-4, Bicycle Belle Ding Ding! wrote: > > > > As cyclers (Grant’s word!), it often feels like nobody likes us. You don’t > need me to expound on this; you know how you’ve had to fight for your > little piece of the road. But I have had the strangest experiences of late > - diametric opposites from the norm. I’m garnering favor BECAUSE I am on a > bike. I’ll start with the most recent and work backwards. > > My middle-school aged son had his birthday party today. I did not know P, > but my son really wanted P to come along. It was rather last minute, and I > didn’t really think P’s mother would let him attend on account of us having > never met. I had my son pass along my cell phone number to the parents. > They never called, but they granted permission for P to come with me to the > party. As I watched the boys jump at the trampoline park, I decided I would > sent the photos I’d been taking and say hello via text. P has an > anaphylactic tree nut allergy and as a mother/registered nurse, I can > imagine P’s mother’s anxiety. She texted me back and she told me this was > the FIRST TIME P had been allowed out without his parents. “But you’re the > one on the bike! I’ve been watching you bike to school with your boys for > years.” > > 2. That same son was begging for his new buddy TJ to come over one day. TJ > is an only child with adoring parents who are wise enough to say ‘not until > we meet his mother’. The boys wanted to play basketball at the park, so > TJ’s dad came to meet me there. After the introduction we both stared for a > few seconds, feeling a recognition. “Hey, you ride your bike to school > every day, right? I used to volunteer and direct the traffic at school!” It > snapped into place for me, too, and I couldn’t believe I’d forgotten that. > As soon as he recognized me, he had no qualms about sending TJ home with us > for the day. > > 3. A couple months ago, I convinced my two athletic friends to ride bike > with me all the way into town for coffee. The ride home is straight up the > mountain for an elevation gain of 900+ feet in only a few miles. It’s a > feat and when we made it to our coffee shop, the owner of the business next > door came rushing out, “I’ve been watching you ride your bike to school for > YEARS! You have two boys, right? What are you doing all the way down HERE? > Oh, let me watch the bikes for you. I’ll keep them right here so you can go > have coffee.” He did just that, and when we came to retrieve our bikes, he > had handfuls of free goodies from his eyeglass store. I almost wish I > needed glasses now - take my money! > > Now don’t you find this interesting? I see it as a triad: 1. Being seen > nearly every day. When someone is familiar to you, you can’t help but like > them. At least that’s what they taught me in my psych classes in college. > 2. Being with kids. The presence of children transforms me from a perfect > stranger into someone warm and nurturing. 3. A bike that is romantic and > dreamy. Would I get the same reception if I was in spandex, helmeted atop a > drop-bar road bike? I don’t think so, because most folks can’t relate. > Roadies are a small group. But nearly everyone enjoys the sight of a pretty > bike with swept-back bars and a basket rolling along. Because nearly > everyone has had that very experience, probably as a child. It just looks > HAPPY. > > Included are some photos of us laden with all the school things, so you > know what the neighborhoods are seeing. Pictured is my old and beloved > Betty Foy, my son’s 45 Clem H, and the Red Rocket (Specialized Hotrock to > you). > > And if anyone else has similar experiences of being liked for their bike, > I’d love to hear them! > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
