This weekend, I rediscovered the joys of bike riding. Now that I have a bike lock and a car that’s rapidly losing gas mileage because it desperately needs a tune-up, I figured it was time to put the rubber on the road. I located the bike path through Mobile, then rode it from home to work on Saturday to see how long it would take (about 17 minutes). I dropped off a movie at Blockbuster, then rode past my house to the library, where I picked up another book on sewing and a book of Wendell Berry poems. In all, I rode for 55 minutes.

I hadn’t ridden a bike in about four years (spinning class doesn’t count–no balancing involved). When I first got on it, riding felt a little weird. But when I got going, the wind kicked up and I pedaled fast and wondered why I hadn’t been doing this all along. It was an adventure, riding around streets I knew and some I didn’t, and I felt free, unencumbered by traffic and speed limits. I was fully engaged in the world, not just looking at it through a window.

The unfortunate thing is Mobile is not particularly bike-friendly. The roads don’t have shoulders, and the curbs don’t slope down where side streets interrupt the sidewalk. But I kept away from the main roads and, short of one person who insisted on driving on the wrong side of the street forcing me to quickly maneuver onto the sidewalk, drivers were considerate in sharing the road with me.

So, today I decided to ride to work. After checking the weather, I put on gym clothes and packed work attire, lunch, a book to read, and a stick of deodorant into my backpack, and headed out the door. It was an easy ride in, and I was at my desk ready to work at 8.

In other weekend news:

-Adam and I watched The Bucket List and enjoyed it.

-I went to the fabric store around the corner and found out they don’t sell sewing supplies. The counter girl told me she didn’t have any idea of what I’d need to start sewing, but she could tell me how much fabric I’d need for a project. What the?

-I read. A lot. Mostly for my class but some for fun.

-I also got season one of 30 Rock from the library. That show is hilarious, and Tina Fey’s character is likable and quirky. It was a nice break from all the reading I did.

-We went to the Episcopal church. Adam hadn’t gone yet, but he really enjoyed it. Since he went to a Catholic high school, he knew what to say and how to pass the peace. He also drank from the communion cup, whereas I just dipped my wafer in it. It was strangely moving to see his comfort level in all of it, and he said he’d like to go back. So would I.