Guest Blog: My Favorite Things - My Town

March 14, 2011, By David Mott 0 comments

I’ve been living in my current home for more than 10 years, making this the longest stretch that I’ve stayed in one abode. And yet, with a decade in my current house under my belt, I only recently got to know my hometown.

It took a rear-end collision that totaled my car, and took away my health, to open my eyes to the place where I live.

I’m guessing I’m like a lot of parents who either commute to and from work, or stay at home and run errands as needed. When you leave the house, you have a destination in mind. You take the quickest, most direct route to get to your destination.

Granted, I haven’t always used a car to get around. I’ve been biking to the grocery for most of these 10 years. But still, I take the direct route, the streets where I can get around on auto-pilot.

Rear-end Collision Changed How I Get Around

In mid-January, my car was rear-ended and I suffered severe whip-lash. The vehicle was towed away, and I’ve been rehabilitating my back, neck, shoulders and arm ever since. As a divorced single dad with my driving-aged teenage daughter off at college, I have no one to take me around. I can’t run, because the pounding is too much for my spine and nervous system to take. I can’t cycle on my road bike because I can’t bend my head for long without getting light-headed or even dizzy.

And so I’ve been getting around by walking, and by riding my beach cruiser. You know, a one-speed bike with fat tires and a really big seat. I can sit upright and pedal at slow speeds, and get around fine. (I just can’t go too far, carry too much or give anyone a lift, which means my son is biking too.)

Old Roads – Cautious Biking

At first, I took the same roads I always took to get to my favorite stores. They’re quick ways to get around if you’re in a car, and miserable for anyone on a bike. I quickly saw how drivers in my area have a “me first” attitude. They’d speed by me only to cut me off as they made a right turn, rather than giving me and my beach cruiser the right of way. They’d come out of a parking lot and stick the nose of their vehicle out into the street before they even looked to see if a bike was coming. (I became an extremely defensive cyclist.)

New Roads – Hometown Tourist

I soon discovered the joy of biking one street off the beaten path. I sought out the least crowded roads possible. To my joy, I started pedaling through new parts of my town. Quiet, tree-lined streets I never knew existed. Quaint bridges over picturesque streams. Bike paths that cut through or around traffic congested areas. I pedaled by secret parks where families and kids were playing, wide-open fields where adults brought out their radio-controlled helicopter toys.

I also started running into really nice people. Older folks out for a stroll or just collecting their mail, who would stop and wave at me passing by on my bike. Stay-at-home moms with their kids who didn’t look totally harried.

I may not have stepped into any tourist areas, or checked out the museums or other sites. But I finally got to know my hometown for what it really is. And I liked it.

Makes me want to stay another 10 years.