Every Monday through Friday, I get in my car and make the 22-mile, 45 minute commute to my office. And, every Monday through Friday, as I’m sitting in traffic, I watch the cyclists zoom right past me and wish that I could be as free as them – not confined by the metal of my car or the mass of cars surrounding me. I just imagine how happy they must be all day at work, knowing that they had a wonderful hour riding with the wind at their back and the morning sun on their face. Although I’ve been an avid biker for about a year now, it never occurred to me that I could be one of those cyclists that drivers can enviously watch zoom by while stuck in morning traffic – until this week.
I decided that I was going to stop wishing and instead, I was going to do. So, I rode my bike to work. I made all the necessary preparations and I did it. Let me tell you – it was just as wonderful as I imagined it all those miserable, traffic-filled mornings. Actually getting to enjoy the smell of nature as the wind blew past me; really getting to see the sun rise up over Lake Austin; flying past all the drivers that used to be me, it was just such a fun experience. Take a look at some of the great things I was able to see on my bike ride to work:
The rolling Texas hills - my view from the road.
Some of Texas' prettiest wildflowers.
Austin's 360 Bridge - I have to cross this to get to my office.
More than just being an enjoyable experience, riding my bike to work really reminded me how beautiful our planet is (both the natural and man-made elements). And it got me thinking – could you imagine how amazing it would be if I actually did win the ProBlogger trip to Australia? If I’m blown away by the beauty that I see in Austin every day, just imagine what kind of experience I would have seeing Australia’s Great Barrier Reef or the famous Daintree Rainforest for the first time!
As my readers, I like to think that this blog gives you the opportunity to experience what I experience. When I ride my bike to work and bask in the sun that hits my face as it rises, so do you. When I taste a delicious cut of meat during a Valentine’s Day dinner, you too can taste it. So when I win that contest (fingers crossed!), it is kind of like we are all winning. Get ready to experience the clear blue waters as we snorkel in one of the planet’s Seven World Wonders. Australia, here we all come!
As you can tell, biking to work brought me so much happiness today (just like I imagined). After a day like today, I don’t even want to think about getting back in the confines of my car on Monday. So even though the mileage was lengthy and my legs were tired, I have a feeling that there will be many more bike rides to work in my near future.