A bicycle for my birthday

*not my real bicycle

A bicycle for my birthday

Tomorrow is my 39^th birthday. As is customary, people usually spend birthdays as a way of reflecting, of looking back on the many things that have happened to them not just in the previous year of their life, but of the total number of years they’ve been alive. For some it’s a time, much like New Year’s, to hit the reset button on what people felt was a string of disastrous experiences they are more than happy to put distance between. For others, it’s a fond remembrance of joyful times, of moments that are retold over and over, moments that are never to be forgotten.

Where am I in all of this? First a brief story…

I took a long four-day weekend from work this weekend in honor of my birthday - my own personal holiday. And over these few days, I have been trying to do things that I enjoy without breaking the bank. So yesterday I decided to take a nice bike ride out to Williamsburg, to enjoy the weather, to get some exercise, to take some photographs and to pick up a doughnut (or two) at the outdoor food fair along the water, known as the Schmorgasborg. To make a long story short, my bike was stolen while I was off enjoying doughnuts. Clearly someone was desperate for a bike, since the thief had cut my coil lock and then must’ve just dragged the bike away on foot since my u-lock was attached to the wheel and the frame (like a car bootclamp), making it immobile.

Security Sidenote: Always attach the u-lock from the frame to the bike rack. NEVER use a coil lock. Even if there are hundreds of people around and more bikes than you can count. Lesson learned.

When the realization settled in that I had not simply forgotten where I parked my bike and that it indeed had gotten stolen (most likely from the guy I saw who I very clearly thought was casing the bikes for potential theft… oh the irony!!!) I had a choice: I could let this incident throw me wildly out of control and get upset and angry and pissed off at the injustice (HOW DARE THIS HAPPEN TO ME!!!) OR I could breathe and get over it; recognize the fact that unfortunate incidents happen all the time and that it wasn’t a personal attack on me; just feel sorry for the people out there in the world who live a life where resorting to stealing other people’s bicycles (which I assume he’s selling for money) is their reality.

I chose the latter. I was not about to let losing a bike derail a perfectly good weekend. In fact, despite that I have to now spend a good chunk of cash to go get another bicycle, I am quite happy with the outcome. My bike has been my main mode of transportation to and from work for the last three years. Though the ride is short, it is mostly met with strong winds from the Hudson River that makes riding on a perfectly flat surface seem like I’m riding up the side of a mountain. However, the bike got me where I wanted to go, so regardless of the arduous riding conditions, I couldn’t justify getting rid of it just to get a smoother, easier ride. I felt I could do better things with the money. Well, now I have a chance to reset. Now is the time for me to reevaluate all the things I didn’t like about the old bike and make sure that I have better for the new bike. Happy Birthday to me!

So maybe losing a bicycle is a metaphor for life: you can’t get back love/youth/bicycles that you may be clinging to from your past, but you can look forward to finding an equally good (if not better) love/adulthood/bicycle in the future.

Which brings me back to the beginning: where do I find myself on the eve of my birthday? I would say I am joyful. I look back at the past 39 years and it is absolutely mind boggling to think about how much I have experienced and accomplished and endured. I have felt love and loss. I have experienced joy and sorrow. I have met wonderful people from all over the world. I have learned about life and myself. Luckily, those experiences get to continue. Though I enjoy looking back on my life and taking stock of things, smiling at the life I’ve led so far, I also look forward to what’s to come. Because I sure do love a good surprise.

In life, bicycles may come and go, but so far I’m quite enjoying the ride.

“Bicycle, bicycle, bicycle
I want to ride my bicycle, bicycle, bicycle
I want to ride my bicycle
I want to ride my bike
I want to ride my bicycle
I want to ride it where I like”
-Queen, ‘Bicycle Race’