Talking About Talking On Bicycles

When walking down the street with someone, I often struggle to remain at the same pace. Frequently I will find myself well in front, and it is agonizing to slow down for them to catch up. This isn't because I'm so much more eager to get where I'm going, or even because I just move faster. I don't happen to be fast or have long legs. I just happen to be operating at a higher gear in such cases. It's sort of like something that happens to me on occasion, and I'm the slow one.

Plenty of my friends are avid bike riders, but there is one in particular. He lives in my building, and we go to a lot of the same places. When it's close enough, he rides his bicycle. I walk. If each of us independently arrives at the decision to go to the same place, an awkward thing happens. I can't go as fast as his bike the whole way. Even if I could, the conversation wouldn't be too terribly interesting for either of us.

It's as unworkable if he tries to slow down to my speed. He certainly can't stay astride his bike and ride so slowly. The thing would tip over no matter what gear it was in. He'd have to be riding circles around me. The only thing that works is for his to walk his bicycle alongside me. That suits me all right. I don't imagine that it suits him very well. He would be quite justified in wondering why he was getting his bike out at all. I don't blame him should he entertain that thought.

The only solution is that I've got to get a bike. I've talked about it before, but this time I might actually do it. The greatest motivation I ever have to solve a problem is when solving the problem lets me talk more. If I keep in mind that getting a bicycle is going to allow me even more opportunities for conversations with my friends (if fewer with strangers I meet while walking by myself), I cannot fail to succeed in my goal.