Yesterday, my husband got his e-bike. E-biking in everyday life has quickly become something I really enjoy, and for the first time, we could head out together on our own bikes.
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My own bike is now a whole three weeks old.
We agreed that we would take it easy to begin with.
Just a short ride.
We would cycle to Ödeborg and then head home again.
That was the plan.
Well, we could go a little farther…
When we reached Ödeborg, we were still feeling good.
So we thought we might as well cycle towards my mother’s house before turning around. It would still be a fairly reasonable ride, perhaps around ten kilometres.
But when we got there, we thought we could continue to Edstena Fors.
And once we were there…
Well, we might as well continue all the way to Högsäter and visit the grandchildren.
So much for that short and careful first ride together.
What was supposed to be around ten kilometres ended up being almost forty.
Nature feels different from a bicycle
We spent around three hours surrounded by forests, pastures and countryside.
You experience nature differently from a bicycle.
You notice the smells. You see things you might simply pass by when sitting in a car. Nature is right there – not something you are travelling past, but something you are actually moving through.
We also tried the little walking trail that people in Högsäter have built through their own hard work.
As a cycle path, it might not have been quite ideal. Some parts were actually rather difficult to ride on.
But I was impressed by the work behind it. There is something I really like about people coming together and creating something with their own hands for the place where they live.
“Did you cycle all the way here?”
When we arrived at Malou’s house, she was in the kitchen. She came outside and asked:
“Did you cycle all the way here?”
Yep.
We certainly did.
We went inside and had some water. They were eating, and the salad looked far too good for me not to have a little taste.
They have just returned from Greece and had brought us a small present: a lovely little tin containing spices for tzatziki.
And suddenly, I had a challenge on my hands.
My tzatziki happens to be one of the dishes I am particularly proud of. You simply don’t make tzatziki better than mine.
Or so I thought.
While she was in Greece, my daughter informed me that she had actually tasted a tzatziki that was better than mine.
Obviously, I cannot let that go unanswered.
Now I have Greek spices at home, so it is time to level up.
Greek-style tzatziki, here I come.
A tin of tzatziki spices from Greece – a little gift we received during our almost 40-kilometre e-bike adventure.
Now there is only one question left: can those Greek spices take my beloved tzatziki to the next level?
Then on to our next stop
After visiting Malou, we continued on our bikes to see our other grandchildren.
Hugo was everywhere at once, talking, laughing and showing us all sorts of tricks.
Emilia told me about school and that she had been getting help with her schoolwork. Most importantly, she told me that she was enjoying going to school again.
That made me happy.
She also told me that she is thinking about becoming a teacher when she grows up.
I told her that someone who enjoys school can become almost anything, and that becoming a teacher is a very good goal.
Then I decided that was enough.
Adults don’t always need to complicate a child’s dreams for the future. If she wants to become a teacher right now, then she should be allowed to dream about becoming a teacher.
My son, who actually celebrates his birthday today, also got to try my bike.
Of course he tried the boost mode.
It would almost have been stranger if he hadn’t.
E-biking in everyday life – almost 40 kilometres later
Eventually, of course, we had to cycle home as well.
By the end of the day, our short and careful bike ride had turned into almost 40 kilometres.
And I was tired.
But more than anything, I was proud.
Somewhere along those kilometres was the feeling that we were doing something good for ourselves.
That is one of the things I like about having an e-bike.
Electric assistance doesn’t mean that the motor has to do the work all the time. When the road is flat and my body feels strong, I can cycle perfectly well using my own strength. When the hills arrive, I can get a little help.
For me, e-biking in everyday life has become a gentle way of taking care of my body.
Perhaps that is exactly what I enjoy so much about e-biking in everyday life. I can let my body work without every hill having to become an obstacle.
But wasn’t this supposed to be a post about ADHD?
Yes.
It’s Tuesday, and according to my own plan, I was supposed to write about ADHD today.
Instead, I started writing about a bike ride.
But the more I think about it, the more appropriate that seems.
We were going for a short ride.
Then we could go a little farther.
And since we were already there, we could continue just a little bit more.
One thought became another, and then another, and another.
Eventually, we had cycled almost 40 kilometres.
And this post has taken almost exactly the same journey.
I started with our e-bikes and somehow ended up writing about nature, grandchildren, school, dreams for the future and Greek tzatziki.
Maybe I’m not always the one who needs to fit into the template.
Sometimes the template simply has to try to keep up with me.
Because I’m not a template.
I’m me.
And sometimes that little trip I planned becomes much longer than I expected.
Both on my bicycle and in my thoughts.
How does it work for you?
Do you recognise that feeling when a small plan suddenly turns into something completely different?
Perhaps you start doing one thing and, a little while later, realise that it has led you to two or three other things.
Or are you the opposite – someone who likes deciding the route beforehand and sticking to it?
And if you ride an e-bike, do you use the electric assistance all the time, or do you do what I do and let your body work when it feels good, using the motor when you need a little help?
Feel free to tell me in the comments. I enjoy it when my own thoughts get to meet other people’s experiences.
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Yesterday has already settled into history. Tomorrow is waiting further ahead. But right now – this is where life happens.
Malix / Carina Ikonen Nilsson
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