Ride your bike. Even when it’s cold. Even when it’s hot. Even when you feel like your legs are dying and you can’t make it up the next hill. Make it up the hill anyway. Hydrate.
Stop and have a coffee or tea and sit next to your bike outside and talk with strangers about how they haven’t ridden a bike since they were a kid. Watch them smile at the memory of it. Put a bell on your handlebars and ring it when you see kids riding on the sidewalk. Smile and wave. Put a rack on the back of your bike and go grocery shopping.
Ride your bike to a concert and laugh when people complain about getting out of the parking lot (and about how much they paid for parking). Look around at all the things you would miss if you were in a car.
If you get honked at, know that you were seen. Be deliberate and predictable. Every now and again, wear a banana suit. Be the person that people talk about: “Oh, it’s that bike rider.” Ride your bike and smile your smile and feel good again.
(Originally published on the Bike Fun Facebook page.)