A Summer's Morning in Winter

30 Dec 2019 at 19:50 // under Cycling

This morning, I was up and ready to go to work with time to spare. I started looking for an excuse, some reason to avoid the bike and take the car instead.

It was dark outside and I was expecting the journey to be cold wet and horrible. I am still slightly afraid if traffic, particularly when it is dark. Perhaps if I drive, I can get home to help the rest of my family sooner.

I caught myself and realised that these were just excuses. There was no real reason to take the car. I have multiple lights on my bike. My jacket is warm and waterproof. I avoid the main roads and use the segregated cycle path. If I take the car then I could make it home faster, but I also restrict the options available to everyone else. No spontaneous day trips.

Once I accepted that I ought to take the bike, I got it out the shed, put my bag on and prepared to leave. At this point I noticed the weather. It was dry and warm. It felt more like summer, despite the darkness. Once I started to cycle, I noticed how quite the roads were. The Christmas holidays meant that the roads were virtually empty.

It was one of the most pleasant journeys I have taken in a long time. And if I had taken the car, I would have missed it.

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