Hmmmm...
Last night we went to Bike Night.
It was a lovely evening,
a lovely setting.
I loved the families on bikes,
the gals in their fun skirts and shoes,
bicycles, bicycles, everywhere,
the relaxed vibe,
the warmth,
the music,
the pure Summerness.
In my past life of museum work
I can not say I ever saw the doors of a museum
swung open for people to ride their bicycles through,
I have to say ~ that was cool.
But there was something about it all...
If a tree falls in the woods,
and no one is there to hear it,
does it make a sound?
If a person rides a bicycle,
wears their hipster clothes,
and does bikish things,
does that make them cool,
if no one is there to validate it?
And smoking?
Why was smoking allowed at this event?!!
Gross.
And the movie selections?
The ones I saw were frankly horrible.
Just because something somehow circles back to a bicycle
does not mean it is automatically cool, good, or sending a good message.
Either something is cool, good, or sending a good message,
or it isn't.
The MIA is a community place, this was a community event.
Sometimes we bicyclists can really alienate others from enjoying things,
we can be intimidating,
unwelcoming,
off-putting.
That's not what this even was all about,
but that element definitely exists at every bicycling event I attend.
Yes, that's what makes the world go round,
but can't we dig deeper to do better?
When you attend a bicycle specific event
what type of reactions do you have?
What do you think?
Does simply riding a bicycle
or being at a bicycle event
make you cool?
How do you define 'cool'?
For good or for bad, I have never found the herd
to be a place I find comfort and validation.
Sometimes bicycling makes me really happy,
Sometimes bicyclist do such great things,
sometimes a bicycle gathering can be really inspiring.
And sometimes bicyclists
and their gathering
can completely turn me off.
I do my bikish things because I want everyone to feel good on a bicycle.
I often ride alone because though a bicycle is a big part of who I am,
it is not all I am.
