Bikes, Lanes, & Freedom to Go Farther

 This morning I was thinking of bikes, lanes, and the freedom to go farther.  I had some amazing experiences with e-bikes in the month of March and went farther than I ever have before. 

 My bicycle was an essential piece of equipment when growing up as a young street urchin in Southern California.  I often lived outside with my gang of neighborhood kids. Oh, the places we went!  Our world was defined by how far we could pedal. I vividly remember discussing with my young friends, how amazing it would be if there was a special lane designated only for bikes where no cars were allowed.  We thought this was an original idea. It was only a dream back in the 60's and 70's.  

Though safety wasn't foremost in my thoughts, even then, I seemed to understand that safety was somehow related to how fast and far I could travel on my bike if I had some outside support. Instead, I used sidewalks, didn't really care if I was going in the direction of traffic, ignored stop signs, traffic signals and never wore a helmet. Well, I admit, I still take liberties when riding my bike.

Fast forward to 2026 when riding a newly acquired, cheaply made, e-bike back in Long Beach. My little street urchin girl heart rejoiced! My "bike lane dream" had come true! Sometimes these bike lines were even reinforced with a concrete barrier.  My little girl heart also rejoiced with the power of pedal assist!  Here I was going up hills without breaking a sweat!  Here I was pedaling faster and going farther than I ever dreamed as a child!  It was like flying while riding to Seal Beach down the fully paved, no cars allowed, San Gabriel River bike trail.  I pedaled in time to the music in my head from the Wizard of Oz scene when Miss Gulch is riding her bike and turns into the flying wicked witch,"duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh"  (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2dvl7jOtzE)  

Whee!   My inner child is alive and well!  Another such moment was during my recent cruise to Ensenada.  I planned my own shore excursion to rent an e-bike with the goal of riding along the beach. They had some bike lanes as well but we also ended up riding in heavy traffic during our adventure. It was easy to feel exposed and unprotected but we proceeded with caution.  With a two hour time limit, we tried to ride as far as we could down the coast. I never dreamed we would actually ride on the perfectly firm sand on a totally deserted beach. But we did and it became my favorite experience during my cruise venture. 

When venturing, concretely defined bike lanes provide protection and enhance freedom. Instead of hedging my way, they actually open up opportunities to go farther and faster.  God's commandments, sometimes literally etched in stone, are defined, protected pathways.  Think of Charlton Heston, as Moses in the great Easter classic, "The Ten Commandments" witnessing the creation of the stone tablets containing God's words. Some things never change.  Some things are set in stone.

It's exciting to listen to the word of God today witnessed by living prophets and apostles. Their words, like the Ten Commandments, do not hedge me in, but open up the way. They keep me safe from outside danger and keep me free!  It is so much easier to pedal fast through life and go further than I ever could on my own steam. How far can I go?  How free do I want to be?  Whee!

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media/broadcasts/watch-saturday-live-sessions?lang=eng