In my youth, I was active. You would not find my nose buried in a book. I was always playing baseball, basketball, paint ball, roller skating, swimming, and skateboarding. During high school, I skateboarded relentlessly. I built my own ramps and grind rails. After school meant jumping stairs, developing combinations into and out of grinds. Breaking my leg didn’t even stop me. (I even skateboarded while I was on crutches with a cast on.)

When I went to college, however, all that changed. Of course I took my skateboard with me. I couldn’t imagine not using it. Well, theology and language gripped me. Semester after semester went by without using it. Semester after semester my library grew and my need to learn never seemed to be satisfied. Gradually, my active life became settled. I was living a primarily sedentary life.

Moving to Bellingham changed all that. Though I hadn’t ridden a bike since middle school, I found myself buying a bike. (For the record, bikes are not cheap.) Here’s my simple 3-speed bike.

Now, the way I’ve titled and written this post might lead you to the wrong conclusion, so I should be honest at this point. My decision to buy a bike [✕ was not born out of some inner desire to become active again. Nor was it born by an act of sheer will power to force myself to get in shape. No. Nothing quite so noble.✕] My decision to buy a bike  [✓ was one of necessity.✓]  We have one car here. Since Mary Beth works from home and the baby stays at home, she needs to have the ability to get in the car and take him to the hospital in the event something happens. With vehicular transportation not an option, and since work is only two miles away, I opted for the bike instead of relying on city transit.

I’m not the only one in the family with a bike, though. Mary Beth got one too. She, unlike me, actually had a choice in the matter. A real life example of how she is a better, let’s be frank, person than I am. Here she is with her new bike and a friend to tag along behind!

I must say, despite my tongue in cheek tone, that there are some real benefits to biking around Bellingham. For one, I’m already losing weight. 2lbs in about a week. Not much, but I take my victories where I can find them. A second benefit is the fact that I’m becoming more active without having to sacrifice my desire to study and write. It only takes me 15 minutes to get to work. After the short bike to work, I’m awake and ready to go. The ride home lets me clear my mind and refresh myself. Finally, it’s a good family activity. We just got back from a ride down to the bay. The view was absolutely gorgeous. Take a look for yourself.