The Joy of Something New
The Joy of Something New
We all look for a bit of adventure in our lives from time to time. It gives us something to talk about, and an experience to share, dream about and more often than not, save for. It’s what keeps me going – that ‘something’ to look forward to. Our ‘adventures’ can take different forms: travel; a new creative hobby or pastime, or sometimes re-trying an activity from our youth.
Recently, my wife and I revisited a favourite old pastime: riding a push bike. I don’t reckon we’ve been on pushies for more than 30 years. We googled up the latest gear. (No lycra at this stage). We had fun at the bike shop and of course went over budget. Then a couple of weekends ago, we tentatively mounted our trusty steeds. To our delight, we took off with no problems, and cycled away – oh the joy – hurrah!!!
Mind you, our kind of cycling is restricted to the dedicated walk/bike paths. We very much enjoyed the opportunity to explore Canoe Point, Second Beach and Tannum Beach. For the most part, we just ambled along, but of course from time to time, there was a tiny bit of competition from the love of my life, which drove up the pace.
I don’t think we’ll get rid of our car, or hit the Olympic velodrome anytime soon, but there is something special about exploring the world on a bike. It’s one of those things that brings you back to your childhood where your ‘pushy’ was your key to freedom. In a world of depleting fuel supplies and emissions concerns, it’s also a very environmentally sound way to get around.
For all of us, immersing ourselves in our chosen interests enriches our lives. And for those of us that are retiring soon, it may just be a nice way to while away the hours.