Freedom

I remember when I got my first good bike. I remember the feeling of freedom, getting my own self to my piano lesson or friends’ house without having to wait for a parent. I loved riding my bike to school—I could get myself there in half the time and it came with built in air conditioning cooling me off as I rode. When I went to college I didn’t have a car and I remember the long walks home from the grocery store carrying all my heavy bags. I talked some people into doing me favors to get my bike up there and suddenly there it was again: freedom. I could get places and carry things easier and get exercise and escape in ways i desperately needed. Still today, biking is my favorite way to see a city when I travel. It’s both faster and slower at the same time and I love that. Would you believe I still have the same bike I got when I was twelve? I am long overdue for an upgrade, but grateful for every mile these tires have taken me on throughout my life. [“Three Amigos” available at 15th Street Gallery!]