slow is the new fast

I rode Sunday Parkways today, the first of five that will be held in Portland this year. I volunteered as a Roving Mechanic, although it was mostly just riding around; I wound up fixing exactly three bikes during my three-hour shift.

So mostly I just I rode my bike. Slowly. And because I took my time, I got to see more. More people, more cats, more flowers, more swirling clouds and raindrops and sunbreaks. By riding slowly, I saw more of everything. Sometimes I liked what I saw enough to stop and look at it longer, or maybe take a picture.

Riding slow is sort of a new way to ride fast. Because life goes faster than any of us care to admit. So by slowing ourselves down, all we're doing is seeing more of what's around us, what's always been there for us to notice.

Today was a good day to ride slowly.