Biking Clears My Head

How biking to work made me a better thinker

My bike path

When we lived in Chicago, I biked to work. It was simple: get on the lakeshore path, zip downtown, and weave through a few blocks to the office.

Then we moved to a remote area of Michigan, where people are more likely to ride tractors or horses across town. I resigned myself to the reality of losing my daily ride.

But, not long after moving, I discovered something wonderful. Our new house is right off the Pere Marquette trail, a path that cuts all the way across Michigan, from east to west. And what’s better, it would take me straight to work.

So, I started biking to work again, but this time it was a much longer ride than it had been in Chicago.

The 14-mile ride took me about an hour per way, so I spent two hours a day on my bike. It gave me lots of time to think — at least, after I got over my fear of being kidnapped or attacked by a bear.

Wild Animals and Crazy People

I tried to keep my biking habit (addiction, really) a secret, but it wasn’t long before it leaked out. Then everyone had something to say. I remember two specific conversations. One gentleman, a city employee, struck up a casual dialogue with me, then abruptly changed the subject.