- good for me physically (love that fact that I can kill two birds with one stone by getting in my exercise while also doing the mandatory commute to work);
- good for the environment (less than six miles each way isn't much driving but it adds up); and
- good for me mentally (as the other bloggers have noted the level of interaction with the environment around you is MUCH more engaging on a bike).
So I usually manage to overcome my own mental inertia to do the easy thing (drive) and away I go on the bike. Of course nowadays it's especially good to ride because my kids get to ride too, and we get to enjoy a few minutes of quality time together in the open air rather than in the car before they stop off at school...and they sure seem to fight less when biking than when stuck in the back seat together!
Back to the opening point- every time I ride, without exception, I'm glad I did. So why the heck is it that my brain tries to come up with excuses not to do it? Sure, maybe it takes a little extra prep time to pack my courier bag with my work clothes. I have to be careful to fold my shirt so it doesn't come out all wrinkled and to not forget things like a belt or socks (which I've done and felt goofy all day long without). And yes, it's true that biking burns calories which generate heat which makes me sweat, but I have a place to change clothes and towel off and cool down before putting on my work clothes, so it's not really a big deal. As I like to joke, the side benefit of riding is that my meetings tend to be really short on those days (all the while hoping that I'm not really stinky)! Yes, riding the bike can complicate the situation when I have meetings out of the office, but that can be overcome by riding the bus or catching a ride. And finally, riding does take more time than driving, but in reality the difference is piddling, less than 15 minutes extra time in the worst case and sometimes fewer than ten.
Clearly the benefits far outweigh the costs. So again, why the internal resistance? Perhaps it's a metaphor for a broader phenomenon of the human condition (or at least mine)- the innate desire to go with the known, the easy, the safe, the comfortable, the routine. As I've learned through biking to work and in countless other ways, though, that is not the recipe for a fulfilled life. No, instead it's to push, to challenge, to try new things, and to explore. So, as they say, get on your bike and ride!
