6.8.10

hopefully they're needed more elsewhere



This past week has been a mix of emotions. Sam and I went to a Matisyahu concert last night, climbing with old friends, getting a placement in Japan for my internship, etc. But all of this has been in contrast with the pain of getting my bike stolen. On Sunday Sam and I discovered both of our bikes gone from off the front porch of my house.
I have lost things, and even had a few things stolen or destroyed, but none of that hurts anything like having your bike stolen. For those of you who live without a car, ride often, and have a passion for bikes, you may know what I mean when I say that it kind of becomes part of your soul. You learn the ins and outs of the bike, the q
uirky problems and strengths, how the breaks, w
eight, turnings, etc feel and react. The hours of repairs, tweaking, shopping for parts, accessories and so forth.

2 Days after the incident, and feeling completely immobile, I found a similar Schwinn that only needed a little work at the recyclery in St. Johns a
nd bought it, but that still only means one of us (Sam and I all but live together) can get around by bike at one time. (not to mention I still haven't picked up a rack for larger loads)

The second let down of the whole experience is that this kind of betrays some of the trust I've had for society as a whole. I'm an optimist and have lots of faith in us all as humans. Perhaps my rather idylic upbringing contributes to this, but I tend to trust people more than distrust them. (I grew up on a small island off the coast of Maine in
a community where people left the keys in their cars, if they had them, and their bikes unlocked) This experience hasn't tainted that view, but I do worry about my bike much more than I used to.

If you have thoughts on bike theft, or experiences to share, let me know

Here's to our lost bikes, I hope they are being used by someone who needs them more than we do.

2 comments:

  1. Ahhhhh that's the worst! And you put so much work into them too! My bike is one of the things i feel closest to, maybe even more than my computer or clothes or even room, because it is so personal and functional... I'm so sorry, those were both gorgeous bikes. Sighhhh. Maybe they'll come back to you, in some interesting manifestation of karma?

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  2. hopefully! Maybe it's japanese soul-mate will find me in Tokyo! :-)

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