Day 2, A Well Lit Bike

There is magic in bright lights wrapped around a bicycle frame in motion. Several years ago I was invited to a night time ride in December and was warned I would want to decorate my bicycle. There were a couple hundred people waiting in the local bike shop lot, bikes all sorts of lit up and some with speakers wrapped as presents on racks. We took off through the neighborhoods, guided to areas with brightly lit houses. It was a relaxed pace and a merry vibe. At one house a woman opened her front door, trash bag in hand. I watched her surprised face turn to wonder as she gazed, so unexpected; a quiet river of colors and lights flowing down her street. I called to her, "merry Christmas!" She waved and called back and was gifted dozens and dozens of bicycle bells chiming. Since then it has been our tradition to light up our bikes. While living in Munich we ran into a group of cyclists at konigsplatz with bikes decorated. We turned around and rode with them, chatting, making new friends. While living in Gothnburg, on my last day of classes before the holiday, I asked John to meet me at the library to see the display there. When we arrived, there was a group of cyclists with decorated bikes. We rode with them through the city, looking at lights, making friends. There's quieter stories, too. riding alone, commuting in the dark with my bike lit up. John and I would park on bridges crossing the Mitteland kanal and wave at the barge drivers, so far from home. I love hearing the delight of children I pass as they take it all in and wish them Fröliche Weinachten or Glad Jul or merry Christmas. And it isn't just the kids. It feels like a tiny gift of joy, easily given. If you're local, would you like to go on a Christmas light bike ride? We can organize something down in the tree streets and stop at Slab Pizza afterwards to warm up. I make jokes about needing a really long extension cord, but there's a lot of good options for battery and even solar powered lights. Stay tuned and let's plan something on a night when the weather isn't slippery.