I Am Officially Old

I was walking home from work today and a kid, about eight or nine years old, came zooming by on his bike. The sun was shining and he was pedaling like the hounds of Hell were nipping at his heels.

Watching him speed away I realized that, at that age, being on a bike is about the fastest speed you're able to obtain legally under your own steam. You're way too young to drive, sledding down an iced-over hill is out of the question in most parts of California and only viable for a few months out of the year in other areas of the U.S. Even dirt bikes and four wheelers are usually reserved until you're a little older too.

But a bike? As soon as you're old enough not to instantly fall off of one, the world opens up. And I realized that there is a glorious, almost nirvanic kind of freedom obtained riding high on your two wheeler. Your mom can't micromanage your behavior, you can go where you want, (within reason), you control your destiny. Pretty awesome.

When I was a kid, my mom, being the good parent that she was, would force me and my brother outside when we came home from school, instead of letting us veg into front of the TV, our brains turning into tapioca. At the time it felt like cruel and unusual punishment- I mean TV or nature? No contest!

But now that I am old(er) I realize that some of my best times were outside, on my bike, riding around the neighborhood with my best friend, nipping down to the local grocery store to buy some candy, etc., While I enjoyed the TV shows of my youth I can't honestly say that some of my best memories were spent basking in the cathode rays.

For an event related to the grad school I am attending (USC!!!) I was supposed to compose a mini biography about my academic and career achievements. I chirped on and on (with a 120 word limit) about wanting to save the environment and use sustainable materials, etc., I realized that I also want to make this place a little better than I found it, be it in post-industrial downtowns or even in the suburbs.

This includes fostering environments where kids can safely bike, which is harder than it sounds. When I was a kid SUVs hadn't been invented. Hey, like my title said I Am Officially Old :) I bring this up not to sound like an old curmudegon, which I am in danger of becoming, but because , back then, yeah, in the good ol' days, it was easier for motorists to see a kid on a bike. Now in the age of the Excursion children's mortality rates are increasing and disease is not the only guilty party. I'll blame people talking on their cell phones too, though no mobile ever demanded that you use it while operating a two-ton vehicle at the same time. Just saying. . .

There is debate on what really are effective "traffic calming measures"- narrower streets, speed bumps, flashing signs, banning the use of cell phones while operating as the driver of a vehicle, etc., But regardless, whenever you are behind the wheel please drive defensively, especially in residential neighborhoods so that the little boy that I saw today and other kids can enjoy riding their bikes just as much as I did.