Ride and Smell the Roses
Posted by Vanessa McCracken Wednesday, May 04, 2011
They say you should stop to smell the roses, but maybe you just need to ride your bike to smell the roses. You see, as I was riding my bike home from breakfast this morning (yes, I ride my bike to eat breakfast sometimes – the bike ride offsets carbon emissions and calories, after all, duh), I was overwhelmed by a smell. Being overwhelmed by a smell is not always a good thing, but this time it was very pleasant.
“What is that?” I thought.
I looked around and quickly scanned my surroundings to see what the source of such a lovely scent could be. I was riding under a freeway overpass and had just ridden through a mess of wind-blown trash, so I was even more curious about the source of the sweet aroma teasing me. Finally, using all the deductive reasoning skills I acquired in college, I realized the pleasing fragrance was coming from the rose bushes lining the median. I have driven past these and similar rose bushes countless times and while I may have noted their beauty, I have never noticed their beautiful scent. It took riding by them on a bicycle and being overwhelmed by their perfume to appreciate their full loveliness. Which all made me think – what else am I missing by driving in a car? Fortunately, May is Bike Month and I’ve pledged 650 miles in the Million Mile Challenge, so I’ll have plenty of opportunity to find out! So…what are you missing while you’re stuck in the car?
