Balance and the Night

This weekend I discovered the true cyclical nature of our existence.

I'm sure that in the fashion world there is a term for when a trend hits, goes out of style, and then comes back in style.

In a similar relationship, I have realized that a simple invention, that was rendered obsolete, is now back, and I was using it last night.

Since gas is grossly overpriced, I now bike just about everywhere. Biking saves money, the planet, and it's exercise!

I rode my bike to the grocery last night and stuffed as many groceries as I could in my backpack. Again, save the planet. Unfortunately, I could not place all of my groceries into my backpack. I had to use a few plastic bags.

So, I'm on my bike, where do I put them?

I hang them on my handle bars, test the weight, and take off for home. As I rode home, I recognized the similarity of my handle bars and bags to the baskets and balance system you might see a villager using in a Central/Southeast Asia.

It is a perfect invention. And, in someway, me riding a bike and using a primitive, but effective invention, was kind of like giving oil companies and conglomerates the middle finger.

I was not spewing noxious fumes. I was not wasting any resources. There was me, the Earth, and two simple, man powered machines. I was perfectly at balance with the night, the day, and my conscious.

I was almost hit by an SUV, which made the experience perfect.