Week 3: Commute by Bike

I commute by bike now! I feel like I can confidently say this after riding my bike to work three out of the five days this week. Each day I tweaked my route or added an upgrade to my bike. This started last Saturday with a 12-mile round-trip bike ride exploring different routes to and from work. Monday I accidentally added an extra mile to my commute home trying to find a way on less busy neighborhood streets. Tuesday I added a phone holder to my handle bars (in case I ever need Google's assistance). Thursday I added the shelf on the back of my bike so I could attach my lunch box instead of wearing it on my shoulder and securing it under my backpack strap. One thing that was consistent the whole week: on the way to work I had a nice tail wind and on the way home I was fighting a head wind.

Wednesday was an early morning for me. I met some co-workers at the office before seven so we could carpool to a detention facility over an hour away. There, I observed a know your rights presentation given by an attorney and legal assistant. Afterward, the larger team met at the office nearby for an amazing lunch of tacos, rice, beans, and chips and salsa. It was wonderful to finally meet the people I had been meeting with virtually for the previous week and a half. Of course, there was some of the "wow, you're a different height than I imagined," but other than that it was a great time of getting to know each other and reflecting on what we'd observed.

The rest of my week was full of lots of online trainings which meant a lot of desk time. Because of this, I was very grateful to be commuting by bike. Also, I learned that 5 - 5:30 pm Arizona time / 8 - 8:30 pm EST is a good time to call and talk with people back home! (As long as I'm not breathing too heavily and traffic isn't too loud.)

As I left work on Tuesday, I witnessed one of the clearest rainbows I can remember. I tried to take a picture of it but the real thing was undoubtedly better. If you squint, you can see it's there to the left of the telephone pole. This rainbow was produced by heavy monsoon rain throughout the afternoon.

Lots of desk time also meant that I took advantage of the porch area at work for lunch. I even made a few flower friends.

While biking to work does make my legs tired, I think the pace of biking is much healthier. The people I pass waiting at the bus stop are near enough to share a greeting and I'm not flying past them like a vehicle. I can feel the wind and sun on my skin. I hear the tennis players at their after school practice. I can notice rainbows and enjoy them without worrying about being a distracted driver. While it's not as efficient (it takes me twice as long to bike to work as it does to drive and significantly more physical energy) this week it felt really good. Perhaps this is the romanticism of the first week of biking--although, Tuesday I did almost take the bus--and my opinion may change throughout the year.