I thought of it while riding my bike - Albert Einstein on the Theory of Relativity.
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Alexander Pope, in An Essay on Man wrote, “Hope springs eternal.” He meant to say, “Spring’s eternal hope.”
On Saturday, February 18, the temperature reached 71 degrees and men and women all over Maryland gazed longingly at hiking shoes, bicycles, motorcycles, and golf clubs. Spring’s eternal hope has sprung and they hope to get outside.
They hope to start anew. The knees do not ache (2 miles from home), the bicycle tire is not flat (10 miles from home), the motorcycle chain is not broken (20 miles from home), and the golf drive has not sliced (into someone’s home).
Tennyson wrote, “In the Spring a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love.” In the Spring, a middle age man’s fancy lightly turns away from loss of hair, loss of hearing, and the narrowing of the urethra.
My eyes lock on my bicycle helmet. On que, Bicycling magazine arrives in the snail mailbox and page 23 proclaims the bicycle is “The Happiness Machine.” Bicycling magazine readers already know this, but Bicycling seems compelled to prove it:
“Your bicycle is your happy place. When your ride, you get a spike in neurochemicals such as serotonin and dopamine that relieve pain and improve mood.”
I don’t know about that, but I know riding feels good. In his book on cycling, The Rules, Velominati explains how I feel in Rule 62 - You shall not ride with earphones:
Leave the music for the car. You are on your bike and all senses are turned up to 11. Leave the phone calls, leave the music, leave the TwitFace, and leave all your self-involved portal devices in the house. Take the brain and body out for some fresh air. Riding nude might be the most pure way to do it but that always (well, usually) ends badly. A little clothing and a helmet is all that is necessary for the profound experience of riding a bicycle.
Ok, Pope was right “Hope springs eternal in the human breast.” But, “Spring’s eternal hope” is here. What do you hope to learn this Spring?
How about you? What is your Happiness Machine? Share a story.
