Nature on my Mind

 

Fellow Bike Commuter Jeff McMichael shared a post from Boston.com about how the city hurts your brain and how nature fixes it. I agree with this completely but it got me thinking about an amusement I find myself enjoying: pretending I live in trees and following the twists and turns of branches to make my way around. There must be some part of the brain that connects with twisty-turning paths through the trees -- or at least my brain.

In the photo, in addition to the branches, there are phone and power cables. These are the straight-line highways. They're great for getting from point A to point B, but while playing the game, these are only interesting so I can get to another tree, perhaps as a bridge across the street (so I don't have to touch the ground).

This makes me think of bike routes. Certainly we appreciate getting from point A to point B efficiently, but it's far more enjoyable to take the twisty-turning path. Since I live in the trees, that's where I find my food, take naps and escape from the cat. The power cable is no place to sit. You get on and get off. Just like the interstate, the sooner, the better. The highway itself isn't interesting. It's where it brings you that is interesting. And like many of my bike routes, I'll suffer a busy road to get to low-traffic streets with lots of trees. Just like the article says, my brain needs this.