One gains a unique vantage point sitting on top of a bicycle. Without all the metal and extra seats of a car, riding a bike immerses us in our surroundings, but with more speed and maneuverability than traveling by foot. Sometimes, it can be scary (“that pothole is huge!”), but it can also be humanizing. Other folks on the road tend to treat you like a person, rather than how they personify your vehicle’s make and model (a Hummer versus a Prius, for example).
This week, we’re asking our readers, followers, and fans to share their favorite random acts of kindness from their bike seats. Post yours in the comments section of this post, tweet at us (don’t forget to include @511CC), or post them on our wall.
I’ll get us started.
It was the first beautiful day last May. This was the kind of day that makes people move to the Bay Area. I hadn’t ridden a bike in a while and got lost on my way to work. I wasn’t “no one will notice I’m late” lost. I was “why is there water over there?!” LOST. I was off the cushy bike boulevard and in some industrial part of town with much more traffic than I expected. I approached a stop sign at a busy street.
There was no way across this street. I could see my office building in the distance, but there were too many cars. To make matters worse, a huge truck pulled up beside me, with his right turn signal blinking, ready to squash me like a bug. The only witness of my impending demise – the haggard looking woman on the sidewalk next to me. She shouted at me. I became nervous.
But wait, the driver was trying to get my attention, too. When I looked over, he eased straight out into the road. The cars coming from the left slowed, and I made a break for it! He made a wide turn, and waved back at me as he continued on his way. Success!
I was really excited about my random act of kindness until I read about Timbuk2’s seat cover ad campaign. Covering people’s seats on a rainy day is good enough, but doing it with a waterproof coupon for 20% off more waterproof gear is just clever.
Do you have a random act of kindness to share? What act of kindness would you appreciate the most? What would you be willing to do for someone else? How did you pay your act forward?
Let us know! We’ll post our favorites next Monday.
