One Bicycle

A friend of mine has a mom who lives half of the year in India at a monastery taking care of orphan boys. (I say that with ease like, hey, tonight I'm having spaghetti for dinner.) It's a heavy thought that makes me pause and praise God that we have people in the world that do those sorts of things and then pause and ask my self, why the heck am I not one of these people? Oh that's right, I do advertising which clearly makes the world go round (sarcasm). But I digress...


Anyway, below is the cut/paste of her email she sent that will make us all grateful for our homes, our families, and our "things."


Some of the words I don't understand (lost in translation but I imagine have to do with the faith) but the gist of the story is beautiful so I didn't want to alter it at all from the original posting. Enjoy.





Several years ago when Jim Bradbury was here the two of us purchased two bicycles. One large one and one small one. With 12 boys using them they had a rather short life span and have spent years stacked behind the dorm. I had never looked at them but in passing and thought they were finished. On Losar I bought them a new soccer ball with a very good pump. This pump was able to breath new life into the small bike and the 4 younger boys take turns ridding it every day.


There must be some reward from ridding khora I am sure. Somedays I even see the 18 year old Tenpa Nyima giving it a whirl. See photo of Mouse (Sonam Phunstok).


The thing that amazes me is that it is shared, no fights, no MY TURN, no impatient haggling . One just rides it until he is tired and then he carefully parks it, and the next guy goes and gets on and rides. This bike is like a dirt bag beat up rusty wired together number, but to them it is wonderful. It is not jumped off and left lying around on the ground, it is treated with the respect that a guy with a brand new car would take. They take a rag and dust it off each night, and kiss it good night for all I know.


Earlier I watched them make two skate boards out of an old pair of roller skates and two old boards. They ride those around the monastery laughing and racing as if they were the greatest toys ever.There is something about this that humbles me and makes me realize how much we all take for granted. I think the most amazing thing is that they do not see anything unusual about my admiration. Every day I learn a lesson that I too often forget when I leave but feel like sharing this with you and maybe you can do better.

Complete Streets

So...most of you know I'm in graudate school to get my learn-on and more letters behind my name and with that comes occasional homework. In this case, I had to attend an Ignite Memphis speaking event and write a paper on the speech that most resonated with me. In this case, it was a presentation about urban living in pedestrian friendly neighborhoods that is on my life's to-do list.

Below is a cut/paste of the paper, enjoy! The quote in red is particularly good.


In my fantasy parallel universe world, I ride my bike to the local market. I’m usually in some white capri pants complete with an Audrey Hepburn scarf on my head and big Jackie-O sunglasses on my face. While there, I buy fresh cut flowers that I put in my little bike basket and ride home. I ring the little bike bell.

In my fantasy parallel universe world, I walk to my local barista to get a coffee drink, then relax on the patio watching the passers-by.

In my fantasy parallel universe world, my family and I pop around the corner to get a bite to eat (let’s say Italian), then leisurely walk back home holding hands and talking. We stop for ice cream cones.

Now for reality.

I live in Poplar Estates. There is no farmer’s market in walking distance, and a trip to the neighborhood Kroger requires crossing a busy six lane street. The closest Starbucks is about eight blocks away. There is an Italian restaurant nearby, but it’s never once dawned on me to walk there and there is no patio and if there were, it would overlook a parking lot. It feels strange to walk or bike anywhere.

People in cars look at you funny when you walk on Memphis streets. Is she homeless? They sometimes even call out mean things. On a bike or walking, am I safe from reckless drivers who are so unused to seeing pedestrians that I almost become an inadvertent video game target?

With this context in mind, John Lawrence’s presentation at Ignite Memphis on March 1 was of great interest. His topic: Complete Streets. His goal: To transform Memphis into a pedestrian haven with sidewalks and street infrastructure that makes walking and biking both easier and safer. It makes fiscal sense too. In the decade between 2000 - 2010, Cooper Young residents, who experienced this urban living, pedestrian-friendly atmosphere, saw property values increase 32% vs. 3% for the rest of Memphis. In short, evidence from around the USA supports that residential property values increase when they are in settings that have pedestrian friendly sidewalks within walking distance to parks and shopping.

In addition to saving gas and transportation costs, this arrangement also makes better use of time and land. According to Lawrence, “We spend more time commuting in the car than many other cities. We spend a disproportionate amount of our income on transportation. We have overbuilt then abandoned second-tier suburbs and started building new communities that are 100% auto dependent because they connect to nothing.”

Furthermore, getting out and walking and/or biking with your family is not only environmentally sound, but healthy too.

Pedestrian-friendly cities also attract talent to their areas (vs. brain drain), and put such spots on coveted “best places to live” lists and not, as Memphis tends to be, on “worst places to live lists.” As a native Memphian, I despise being on a “worst anything” list, especially the fattest city list, albeit true. The shift towards walking to the park and biking to the market within an infrastructure that makes it safe and easy to do would easily be a win-win situation, for both the individual, their family and the city. I support Complete Streets and this movement and will do what I can to be a part of it.