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Get more Nothing Much Happens with bonus episodes, extra long stories,
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and ad-free listening, all while supporting the show you love.
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Subscribe now. Welcome to Bedtime Stories for Everyone, in which...
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Nothing much happens. You feel good, and then you fall asleep.
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I'm Catherine Nicolai. I write and read all the stories
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you hear on Nothing Much Happens. Audio engineering is by
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Bob Wittersheim. We are bringing you an encore episode tonight,
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meaning that this story originally aired on At some point
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in the past, it could have been recorded with different
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equipment in a different location. And since I'm a person
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and not a computer, I sometimes sound just slightly different.
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But the stories are always soothing and family-friendly. And our
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wishes for you are always deep rest and sweet dreams. Now,
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here's how this works. Just by listening to the story
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I have to tell you, we'll catch that busy part
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of your brain that likes to keep you up, and
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we'll give it a job to do. When it's occupied,
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you're able to sleep. It really is that simple. but
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it may take a bit of practice for this to
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become automatic, so have patience if you're new to it.
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I'll read the story twice, and I'll go a little
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bit slower the second time through. If you wake again
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in the night, don't hesitate to turn it right back on.
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You'll be out again in moments. Our story tonight is
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called Something New, And it's a story about stumbling upon
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a beautiful place on a late summer bike ride. It's
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also about lily pads, an X marked on a map,
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and the joy of watching a friend step into a
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new season of their life. It's time. Set everything down.
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Turn out your light. Get as comfortable as you can
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and feel the soft sheets against your skin. Notice your
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shoulders and your jaw relaxing, everything getting heavy and sleepy.
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I'll be here. I'll take the next watch. so you
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can really let go of everything. Take a deep breath
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in through your nose. Let it out your mouth. Nice.
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One more. Breathe in. And out. Good. Something new. Though
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the summer was winding down, the bicycle shop was still busy.
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We had our now annual autumn rides planned, and our
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customers were coming in to get tune-ups and have their
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tires patched or replaced. In my opinion, some of the
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best riding of the year lay ahead of us in
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the months between the heat of summer and the first snow.
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I'd been riding every day. Well, I always bike into work,
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as long as it's not bucketing down rain. And on
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the way back home, I often go out of my way,
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just to ride through neighborhoods and out into the country
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a bit. Time on a bike always feels like time
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well spent. I find I do some of my best
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thinking while pedaling. There's something about my body being engaged,
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the steady rhythm of my legs, that translates to a clear,
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calm head. If I go too many days without it,
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I start to feel like a computer with too many
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windows open. Lately, I'd been riding through a part of
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town I'd not explored much before. At the end of
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a long road, which I guess I thought was a
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dead end, but was in fact a curve. The pavement
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turned to gravel, and it circled around a small lake.
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The first time I'd followed the curve and seen the view,
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I'd stopped my bike, dropping one foot onto the gravel.
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and leaning into my handlebars. I was just a little
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out of breath and reached for my water bottle and
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took a long sip. There were a few docks stretched
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out into the lake, and along the far side were
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tall pine trees and a scattering of houses. I slid
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my bottle back into its holder and started to bike
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around the lake. Most of the road was shaded by
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the large old trees, and there was a bit of
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breeze coming off the water. I could smell pine and
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something sweet, maybe lilies or freesia. Beside one of the docks,
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I spotted an egret, so elegant-seeming, with his long neck
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extended as he picked his way through the shallow water.
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The trip around the lake had only taken a few minutes,
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and I found, on the far side of it, several
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narrow roads to continue my exploration. I was debating adding
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the route to our next community bike ride. But for now,
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it felt like my secret, and I wanted to keep it.
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I thought of the grassy lots I'd seen where a
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picnic blanket could be spread, the shallow spots where lily
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pads flourished and croaking frogs lived. It was romantic. That
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was the word I'd been looking for. The spot I'd
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found was romantic. Then I realized I should share my
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secret bike route, but not with my community riders. Instead,
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it could be part of a gift. There was a
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wedding coming up, just a couple weeks away now, and
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I'd been working on my gift for the couple. in
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my workshop. I'd known them both for a while, but
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had first met the groom a few years before, when
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I'd stopped my bike at a dog park. He'd been
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there with his greyhound, Birdie, trying to get him to
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chase a ball, I'd watched from my bike, chuckling under
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my breath as he threw the ball again and again,
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going himself to retrieve it, as his dog lay in
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00:10:17.929 --> 00:10:26.980
a cool patch of grass, watching disinterestedly. Eventually, he spotted
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me laughing and laughed himself, coming up to the fence
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and shrugging his shoulders. I don't think he wants to
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play ball, he said. Nope, I agreed. We started talking,
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and he told me Birdie was a rescue. and had
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likely run as much as he ever wanted to, so
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would probably spend the rest of his days lounging away.
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I asked if I could say hi to him, and
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he waved me into the fenced area. I've always had
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a love for greyhounds, and getting to pet bird's soft
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gray ears, and scratch his chest, had made my day.
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I don't remember when or how, but we'd bumped into
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each other again a little while later, maybe at the
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bakery or the bookshop, and we'd become friends. we'd gone
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to the big Friendsgiving party in town together. We'd found
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a few others to make up a trivia team, and
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one enough that our names were still up on the
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blackboard at the pub. Cookouts, movies, me fixing his rickety
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old bike whenever it broke down, Him telling me about
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a friend who'd found a little orange kitten and how
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Bluebird and he had been visiting them. Then that she'd
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adopted a little dog called Crumb. The name had made
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me laugh. I started to notice how he talked about her.
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how much he talked about her. And I wondered if
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he could hear the smile in his voice whenever he
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said her name. I could. Sometimes it takes us a
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while to see what our friends can see so easily.
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When he'd stopped by the shop and asked if I
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could help him move a few things, well, actually, everything,
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I'd laughed and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. We'd
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had a congratulatory cup of coffee in my workshop, and
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I'd let him go on about her, for as long
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as he liked. By then, she'd been coming to trivia
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night for a few weeks and was the strongest player
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we had, better than either of us. It was a
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joy to watch my friend fall in love. And while
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it was slightly less joyful to help him haul his
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sofa up her porch steps. I'd been there for that, too.
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And now I'd be standing up with him in the wedding.
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And between getting my suit fitted and my shoes polished,
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I'd been building two new bikes for them in the shop.
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They'd need something new for their wedding, and I was
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tired of putting his old bike back together. They were
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matching cruisers, his gray and hers orange, in tribute to
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their first beloved pets. I'd added a brown basket to
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hers so that crumb would also be represented, and even
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gotten them a little pet trailer that could attach to
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the back of either bike. In case Marmalade the cat
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ever wanted to go for a ride, which I frankly doubted,
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having met her. She liked being the queen up on
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her perch and seemed to prefer to watch the world
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go by from her window at home. The bikes were
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nearly ready, shiny and assembled in the workshop, and had
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been waiting for a final touch, which now I had.
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I drew a map to the romantic spot by the
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lake I'd discovered. It took a few attempts. I'd gotten
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out my ruler and colored pencils and marked it with
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an X. I rolled it into a scroll and tied
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it with a ribbon to his handlebars. Now their first
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date night was sorted. Something new. Though the summer was
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winding down, the bicycle shop was still busy. We had
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our now annual autumn rides planned. and our customers were
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coming in to get tune-ups and have their tires patched
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or replaced. In my opinion, some of the best riding
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of the year lay ahead of us in the months
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between the heat of summer and the first snow. I'd
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00:17:51.119 --> 00:17:57.839
been riding Every day, well, I always bike into work,
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as long as it's not bucketing down rain. And on
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00:18:04.940 --> 00:18:09.490
the way back home, I often go out of my
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way just to ride through neighborhoods and out into the
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country a bit. Time on a bike always feels like
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time well spent. I find I do some of my
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best thinking while pedaling. There's something about my body being engaged,
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00:18:42.690 --> 00:18:50.000
the steady rhythm of my legs. It translates to a calm,
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00:18:51.490 --> 00:18:58.079
clear head. If I go too many days without it,
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00:18:59.460 --> 00:19:03.579
I start to feel like a computer with too many
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00:19:03.660 --> 00:19:11.950
windows open. Lately, I'd been riding through a part of
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00:19:12.029 --> 00:19:20.680
town I'd not explored much before. At the end of
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00:19:20.720 --> 00:19:26.220
a long road, which I guess I'd thought was a
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00:19:26.259 --> 00:19:34.269
dead end, but was in fact a curve, the pavement
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00:19:34.490 --> 00:19:44.529
turned to gravel and circled around a small lake. The
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00:19:44.569 --> 00:19:48.549
first time I'd followed the curve and seen the view
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00:19:51.140 --> 00:19:57.170
I'd stopped my bike, dropping one foot onto the gravel
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00:19:59.730 --> 00:20:07.029
and leaning into my handlebars. I was just a little
177
00:20:07.269 --> 00:20:14.480
out of breath, and reached for my water bottle and
178
00:20:14.519 --> 00:20:22.450
took a long sip. There were a few docks stretched
179
00:20:22.750 --> 00:20:29.619
out into the lake, and along the far side were
180
00:20:29.680 --> 00:20:39.759
tall pine trees and a scattering of houses. I slid
181
00:20:39.819 --> 00:20:45.859
my bottle back into its holder and started to bike
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00:20:46.599 --> 00:20:55.529
around the lake. Most of the road was shaded by
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00:20:55.589 --> 00:21:00.509
the large old trees and there was a bit of
184
00:21:00.609 --> 00:21:09.740
breeze coming off the water. I could smell pine and
185
00:21:09.759 --> 00:21:19.089
something sweet, maybe lilies or freesia. Beside one of the docks,
186
00:21:20.329 --> 00:21:30.119
I spotted an egret, so elegant-seeming, with his long neck
187
00:21:30.480 --> 00:21:35.769
extended as he picked his way through the shallow water.
188
00:21:40.069 --> 00:21:46.089
The trip around the lake had only taken a few minutes,
189
00:21:48.109 --> 00:21:52.529
and I found on the far side of it several
190
00:21:52.690 --> 00:22:03.630
narrow roads to continue my exploration. I debated adding the
191
00:22:03.690 --> 00:22:11.950
route to our next community bike ride, but for now
192
00:22:12.089 --> 00:22:18.049
it felt like my secret, and I wanted to keep it.
193
00:22:21.950 --> 00:22:28.380
I thought of the grassy lots I'd seen, where a
194
00:22:28.460 --> 00:22:36.400
picnic blanket could be spread, the shallow spots where lily
195
00:22:36.460 --> 00:22:50.119
pads flourished, and croaking frogs lived. It was romantic. That
196
00:22:50.160 --> 00:22:55.089
was the word I'd been looking for. The spot I'd
197
00:22:55.140 --> 00:23:04.210
found was romantic. That was when I realized I should
198
00:23:04.329 --> 00:23:13.009
share my secret bike route, but Not with my community riders. Instead,
199
00:23:13.029 --> 00:23:19.180
it could be part of a gift. There was a
200
00:23:19.500 --> 00:23:27.319
wedding coming up. Just a couple weeks away now. And
201
00:23:27.380 --> 00:23:31.329
I'd been working on my gift for the couple in
202
00:23:31.369 --> 00:23:39.750
my workshop. I'd known them both for a while. but
203
00:23:39.789 --> 00:23:45.750
had first met the groom a few years before, when
204
00:23:45.789 --> 00:23:51.789
I'd stopped my bike at a dog park. He'd been
205
00:23:51.829 --> 00:23:58.950
there with his greyhound, Birdie, trying to get him to
206
00:23:58.990 --> 00:24:06.539
chase a ball. I'd watched from my bike, chuckling under
207
00:24:06.599 --> 00:24:11.950
my breath, as he threw the ball again and again,
208
00:24:13.049 --> 00:24:18.910
going himself to retrieve it, as his dog lay in
209
00:24:18.930 --> 00:24:28.230
a cool patch of grass, watching disinterestedly. Eventually, he spotted
210
00:24:28.309 --> 00:24:33.859
me laughing and laughed himself, coming up to the fence
211
00:24:34.000 --> 00:24:39.650
and shrugging his shoulders. I... Don't think he wants to
212
00:24:39.690 --> 00:24:48.920
play ball, he said. Nope, I agreed. We started talking,
213
00:24:50.279 --> 00:24:55.000
and he told me Birdie was a rescue and had
214
00:24:55.059 --> 00:25:00.240
likely run as much as he ever wanted to, so
215
00:25:01.200 --> 00:25:05.789
would probably spend the rest of his days lounging away.
216
00:25:08.549 --> 00:25:13.069
I asked if I could say hi to Birdie, and
217
00:25:13.109 --> 00:25:19.150
he waved me into the fenced area. I've always had
218
00:25:19.190 --> 00:25:25.859
a love for greyhounds. I'm getting to pet Bird's soft
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00:25:25.980 --> 00:25:32.140
grey ears and scratch his chest. It had made my day.
220
00:25:35.049 --> 00:25:40.440
I don't remember when or how, but we bumped into
221
00:25:40.500 --> 00:25:47.519
each other again a little while later. Maybe at the
222
00:25:47.539 --> 00:25:55.960
bakery or the bookshop. And we'd become friends. We'd gone
223
00:25:56.119 --> 00:26:03.220
to the big Friendsgiving party in town together. We'd found
224
00:26:03.579 --> 00:26:07.460
a few others to make up a trivia team, and
225
00:26:08.289 --> 00:26:12.490
one enough that our names were still up on the
226
00:26:12.509 --> 00:26:23.329
blackboard at the pub. Cookouts, movies, me fixing his rickety
227
00:26:23.450 --> 00:26:30.069
old bike whenever it broke down, him telling me about
228
00:26:30.109 --> 00:26:36.569
a friend who'd found a little orange kitten, and how
229
00:26:37.509 --> 00:26:44.569
he and Bluebird had been visiting them. Then, that she'd
230
00:26:44.650 --> 00:26:48.599
adopted a little dog called Crumb, the name had made
231
00:26:48.660 --> 00:26:55.579
me laugh. I started to notice how he talked about her,
232
00:26:56.680 --> 00:27:02.319
how much he talked about her. and I wondered if
233
00:27:02.480 --> 00:27:07.200
he could hear the smile in his voice whenever he
234
00:27:07.240 --> 00:27:14.849
said her name. I could. Sometimes it takes us a
235
00:27:14.890 --> 00:27:19.329
while to see what our friends can see so easily.
236
00:27:23.519 --> 00:27:27.759
When he'd stopped by the shop and asked if I
237
00:27:27.779 --> 00:27:34.720
could help him move a few things, well, actually, everything,
238
00:27:36.059 --> 00:27:41.819
I'd laughed and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. We'd
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00:27:41.880 --> 00:27:48.200
had a congratulatory cup of coffee in my workshop, and
240
00:27:48.240 --> 00:27:51.900
I'd let him go on about her for as long
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00:27:51.940 --> 00:27:58.240
as he liked. By then, she'd been coming to trivia
242
00:27:58.289 --> 00:28:03.490
night for a few weeks. and was the strongest player
243
00:28:03.529 --> 00:28:09.660
we had, better than either of us. It was a
244
00:28:09.740 --> 00:28:17.400
joy to watch my friend fall in love. And while
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00:28:17.579 --> 00:28:22.579
it was slightly less joyful to help him haul his
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00:28:22.680 --> 00:28:28.210
sofa up her porch steps, I'd been there for that, too.
247
00:28:32.700 --> 00:28:37.180
And now, I'd be standing up with him in the wedding.
248
00:28:40.000 --> 00:28:44.460
And between getting my suit fitted and my shoes polished,
249
00:28:46.680 --> 00:28:50.809
I'd been building two new bikes for them in the shop.
250
00:28:55.230 --> 00:29:01.519
They'd need something new for their wedding. and I was
251
00:29:01.619 --> 00:29:08.049
tired of putting his old bike back together. They were
252
00:29:08.089 --> 00:29:16.089
matching cruisers, his gray and hers orange, in tribute to
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00:29:16.130 --> 00:29:24.289
their first beloved pets. I'd added a brown basket to hers,
254
00:29:25.910 --> 00:29:32.859
so that Crum would also be represented. and even gotten
255
00:29:32.900 --> 00:29:38.009
them a little pet trailer that attached to the back
256
00:29:38.190 --> 00:29:44.940
of either bike. in case Marmalade the cat ever wanted
257
00:29:45.000 --> 00:29:51.900
to go for a ride. Which I frankly doubted, having
258
00:29:52.019 --> 00:29:59.559
met her. She liked being the queen up on her perch.
259
00:30:01.029 --> 00:30:04.210
and seemed to prefer to watch the world go by
260
00:30:04.390 --> 00:30:11.569
from her window at home. The bikes were nearly ready,
261
00:30:13.589 --> 00:30:20.680
shiny and assembled in the workshop, and had just been
262
00:30:20.720 --> 00:30:31.349
waiting for a final touch, which now I had. I
263
00:30:31.369 --> 00:30:36.009
drew a map to the romantic spot by the lake.
264
00:30:39.609 --> 00:30:43.799
It took a few attempts. I'd gotten out my ruler
265
00:30:45.400 --> 00:30:53.599
and colored pencils and marked it with an X. I
266
00:30:53.660 --> 00:30:58.609
rolled it into a scroll and tied it with a
267
00:30:58.650 --> 00:31:08.259
ribbon to his handlebars. Their first date night was sorted.
268
00:31:12.759 --> 00:31:13.380
Sweet dreams.
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00:00:01.129 --> 00:00:05.809
Get more Nothing Much Happens with bonus episodes, extra long stories,
2
00:00:06.009 --> 00:00:09.189
and ad-free listening, all while supporting the show you love.
3
00:00:09.810 --> 00:00:29.699
Subscribe now. Welcome to Bedtime Stories for Everyone, in which...
4
00:00:30.620 --> 00:00:37.219
Nothing much happens. You feel good, and then you fall asleep.
5
00:00:38.780 --> 00:00:44.009
I'm Catherine Nicolai. I write and read all the stories
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00:00:44.060 --> 00:00:49.390
you hear on Nothing Much Happens. Audio engineering is by
7
00:00:49.490 --> 00:00:55.829
Bob Wittersheim. We are bringing you an encore episode tonight,
8
00:00:56.630 --> 00:01:00.890
meaning that this story originally aired on At some point
9
00:01:01.070 --> 00:01:04.849
in the past, it could have been recorded with different
10
00:01:04.909 --> 00:01:09.250
equipment in a different location. And since I'm a person
11
00:01:09.989 --> 00:01:16.069
and not a computer, I sometimes sound just slightly different.
12
00:01:17.109 --> 00:01:22.209
But the stories are always soothing and family-friendly. And our
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00:01:22.250 --> 00:01:29.170
wishes for you are always deep rest and sweet dreams. Now,
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here's how this works. Just by listening to the story
15
00:01:34.980 --> 00:01:39.700
I have to tell you, we'll catch that busy part
16
00:01:39.739 --> 00:01:43.700
of your brain that likes to keep you up, and
17
00:01:43.719 --> 00:01:49.060
we'll give it a job to do. When it's occupied,
18
00:01:50.129 --> 00:01:55.810
you're able to sleep. It really is that simple. but
19
00:01:55.829 --> 00:01:58.269
it may take a bit of practice for this to
20
00:01:58.310 --> 00:02:02.540
become automatic, so have patience if you're new to it.
21
00:02:04.260 --> 00:02:07.480
I'll read the story twice, and I'll go a little
22
00:02:07.540 --> 00:02:12.379
bit slower the second time through. If you wake again
23
00:02:12.439 --> 00:02:15.919
in the night, don't hesitate to turn it right back on.
24
00:02:17.159 --> 00:02:23.629
You'll be out again in moments. Our story tonight is
25
00:02:23.710 --> 00:02:29.530
called Something New, And it's a story about stumbling upon
26
00:02:29.569 --> 00:02:35.610
a beautiful place on a late summer bike ride. It's
27
00:02:35.650 --> 00:02:39.879
also about lily pads, an X marked on a map,
28
00:02:41.659 --> 00:02:45.719
and the joy of watching a friend step into a
29
00:02:45.759 --> 00:02:53.580
new season of their life. It's time. Set everything down.
30
00:02:55.500 --> 00:03:01.180
Turn out your light. Get as comfortable as you can
31
00:03:01.199 --> 00:03:10.030
and feel the soft sheets against your skin. Notice your
32
00:03:10.110 --> 00:03:17.259
shoulders and your jaw relaxing, everything getting heavy and sleepy.
33
00:03:20.860 --> 00:03:26.069
I'll be here. I'll take the next watch. so you
34
00:03:26.110 --> 00:03:34.389
can really let go of everything. Take a deep breath
35
00:03:34.870 --> 00:03:44.560
in through your nose. Let it out your mouth. Nice.
36
00:03:45.069 --> 00:04:02.849
One more. Breathe in. And out. Good. Something new. Though
37
00:04:02.889 --> 00:04:08.409
the summer was winding down, the bicycle shop was still busy.
38
00:04:11.490 --> 00:04:18.579
We had our now annual autumn rides planned, and our
39
00:04:18.639 --> 00:04:22.720
customers were coming in to get tune-ups and have their
40
00:04:22.779 --> 00:04:29.800
tires patched or replaced. In my opinion, some of the
41
00:04:29.939 --> 00:04:34.949
best riding of the year lay ahead of us in
42
00:04:34.970 --> 00:04:38.709
the months between the heat of summer and the first snow.
43
00:04:41.029 --> 00:04:46.879
I'd been riding every day. Well, I always bike into work,
44
00:04:47.779 --> 00:04:52.720
as long as it's not bucketing down rain. And on
45
00:04:52.759 --> 00:04:56.199
the way back home, I often go out of my way,
46
00:04:57.540 --> 00:05:02.019
just to ride through neighborhoods and out into the country
47
00:05:02.050 --> 00:05:08.709
a bit. Time on a bike always feels like time
48
00:05:08.790 --> 00:05:14.750
well spent. I find I do some of my best
49
00:05:14.850 --> 00:05:22.670
thinking while pedaling. There's something about my body being engaged,
50
00:05:24.310 --> 00:05:30.279
the steady rhythm of my legs, that translates to a clear,
51
00:05:30.920 --> 00:05:36.870
calm head. If I go too many days without it,
52
00:05:37.759 --> 00:05:42.379
I start to feel like a computer with too many
53
00:05:42.439 --> 00:05:49.810
windows open. Lately, I'd been riding through a part of
54
00:05:49.870 --> 00:05:56.350
town I'd not explored much before. At the end of
55
00:05:56.410 --> 00:06:00.709
a long road, which I guess I thought was a
56
00:06:00.750 --> 00:06:06.779
dead end, but was in fact a curve. The pavement
57
00:06:06.920 --> 00:06:11.199
turned to gravel, and it circled around a small lake.
58
00:06:13.959 --> 00:06:18.120
The first time I'd followed the curve and seen the view,
59
00:06:20.139 --> 00:06:25.290
I'd stopped my bike, dropping one foot onto the gravel.
60
00:06:27.079 --> 00:06:33.100
and leaning into my handlebars. I was just a little
61
00:06:33.240 --> 00:06:39.290
out of breath and reached for my water bottle and
62
00:06:39.310 --> 00:06:46.689
took a long sip. There were a few docks stretched
63
00:06:46.870 --> 00:06:52.490
out into the lake, and along the far side were
64
00:06:52.569 --> 00:07:00.509
tall pine trees and a scattering of houses. I slid
65
00:07:00.600 --> 00:07:05.740
my bottle back into its holder and started to bike
66
00:07:05.920 --> 00:07:12.519
around the lake. Most of the road was shaded by
67
00:07:12.579 --> 00:07:16.939
the large old trees, and there was a bit of
68
00:07:17.160 --> 00:07:25.050
breeze coming off the water. I could smell pine and
69
00:07:25.079 --> 00:07:34.910
something sweet, maybe lilies or freesia. Beside one of the docks,
70
00:07:36.009 --> 00:07:43.459
I spotted an egret, so elegant-seeming, with his long neck
71
00:07:43.699 --> 00:07:48.720
extended as he picked his way through the shallow water.
72
00:07:51.939 --> 00:07:56.110
The trip around the lake had only taken a few minutes,
73
00:07:58.970 --> 00:08:03.670
and I found, on the far side of it, several
74
00:08:03.850 --> 00:08:13.310
narrow roads to continue my exploration. I was debating adding
75
00:08:13.439 --> 00:08:20.540
the route to our next community bike ride. But for now,
76
00:08:21.779 --> 00:08:26.660
it felt like my secret, and I wanted to keep it.
77
00:08:29.720 --> 00:08:33.799
I thought of the grassy lots I'd seen where a
78
00:08:33.860 --> 00:08:41.200
picnic blanket could be spread, the shallow spots where lily
79
00:08:41.240 --> 00:08:54.070
pads flourished and croaking frogs lived. It was romantic. That
80
00:08:54.129 --> 00:08:58.870
was the word I'd been looking for. The spot I'd
81
00:08:58.929 --> 00:09:08.360
found was romantic. Then I realized I should share my
82
00:09:08.500 --> 00:09:16.000
secret bike route, but not with my community riders. Instead,
83
00:09:16.019 --> 00:09:22.509
it could be part of a gift. There was a
84
00:09:22.870 --> 00:09:30.230
wedding coming up, just a couple weeks away now, and
85
00:09:30.309 --> 00:09:34.240
I'd been working on my gift for the couple. in
86
00:09:34.279 --> 00:09:41.289
my workshop. I'd known them both for a while, but
87
00:09:41.509 --> 00:09:47.490
had first met the groom a few years before, when
88
00:09:47.549 --> 00:09:54.100
I'd stopped my bike at a dog park. He'd been
89
00:09:54.159 --> 00:09:59.019
there with his greyhound, Birdie, trying to get him to
90
00:09:59.080 --> 00:10:06.000
chase a ball, I'd watched from my bike, chuckling under
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00:10:06.059 --> 00:10:11.220
my breath as he threw the ball again and again,
92
00:10:12.519 --> 00:10:17.889
going himself to retrieve it, as his dog lay in
93
00:10:17.929 --> 00:10:26.980
a cool patch of grass, watching disinterestedly. Eventually, he spotted
94
00:10:27.049 --> 00:10:33.460
me laughing and laughed himself, coming up to the fence
95
00:10:34.639 --> 00:10:40.240
and shrugging his shoulders. I don't think he wants to
96
00:10:40.279 --> 00:10:49.580
play ball, he said. Nope, I agreed. We started talking,
97
00:10:50.559 --> 00:10:56.350
and he told me Birdie was a rescue. and had
98
00:10:56.379 --> 00:11:01.629
likely run as much as he ever wanted to, so
99
00:11:01.690 --> 00:11:06.610
would probably spend the rest of his days lounging away.
100
00:11:06.629 --> 00:11:13.169
I asked if I could say hi to him, and
101
00:11:13.690 --> 00:11:20.409
he waved me into the fenced area. I've always had
102
00:11:20.450 --> 00:11:26.240
a love for greyhounds, and getting to pet bird's soft
103
00:11:26.340 --> 00:11:33.059
gray ears, and scratch his chest, had made my day.
104
00:11:33.080 --> 00:11:41.570
I don't remember when or how, but we'd bumped into
105
00:11:41.629 --> 00:11:48.450
each other again a little while later, maybe at the
106
00:11:48.470 --> 00:11:56.950
bakery or the bookshop, and we'd become friends. we'd gone
107
00:11:57.070 --> 00:12:03.149
to the big Friendsgiving party in town together. We'd found
108
00:12:03.210 --> 00:12:07.990
a few others to make up a trivia team, and
109
00:12:08.309 --> 00:12:11.720
one enough that our names were still up on the
110
00:12:11.779 --> 00:12:21.840
blackboard at the pub. Cookouts, movies, me fixing his rickety
111
00:12:21.960 --> 00:12:28.269
old bike whenever it broke down, Him telling me about
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00:12:28.289 --> 00:12:34.990
a friend who'd found a little orange kitten and how
113
00:12:35.070 --> 00:12:41.159
Bluebird and he had been visiting them. Then that she'd
114
00:12:41.220 --> 00:12:46.039
adopted a little dog called Crumb. The name had made
115
00:12:46.080 --> 00:12:53.240
me laugh. I started to notice how he talked about her.
116
00:12:55.100 --> 00:13:01.559
how much he talked about her. And I wondered if
117
00:13:01.679 --> 00:13:07.679
he could hear the smile in his voice whenever he
118
00:13:07.740 --> 00:13:15.519
said her name. I could. Sometimes it takes us a
119
00:13:15.559 --> 00:13:20.639
while to see what our friends can see so easily.
120
00:13:24.279 --> 00:13:28.299
When he'd stopped by the shop and asked if I
121
00:13:28.360 --> 00:13:36.730
could help him move a few things, well, actually, everything,
122
00:13:38.350 --> 00:13:44.490
I'd laughed and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. We'd
123
00:13:44.529 --> 00:13:51.409
had a congratulatory cup of coffee in my workshop, and
124
00:13:51.460 --> 00:13:54.809
I'd let him go on about her, for as long
125
00:13:54.850 --> 00:14:01.070
as he liked. By then, she'd been coming to trivia
126
00:14:01.129 --> 00:14:06.340
night for a few weeks and was the strongest player
127
00:14:06.379 --> 00:14:13.580
we had, better than either of us. It was a
128
00:14:13.919 --> 00:14:21.429
joy to watch my friend fall in love. And while
129
00:14:21.549 --> 00:14:27.740
it was slightly less joyful to help him haul his
130
00:14:27.820 --> 00:14:33.240
sofa up her porch steps. I'd been there for that, too.
131
00:14:36.549 --> 00:14:40.710
And now I'd be standing up with him in the wedding.
132
00:14:43.429 --> 00:14:48.929
And between getting my suit fitted and my shoes polished,
133
00:14:50.179 --> 00:14:53.860
I'd been building two new bikes for them in the shop.
134
00:14:56.399 --> 00:15:00.879
They'd need something new for their wedding, and I was
135
00:15:00.960 --> 00:15:07.360
tired of putting his old bike back together. They were
136
00:15:07.419 --> 00:15:14.899
matching cruisers, his gray and hers orange, in tribute to
137
00:15:14.950 --> 00:15:21.529
their first beloved pets. I'd added a brown basket to
138
00:15:21.590 --> 00:15:29.529
hers so that crumb would also be represented, and even
139
00:15:29.590 --> 00:15:34.750
gotten them a little pet trailer that could attach to
140
00:15:34.789 --> 00:15:41.600
the back of either bike. In case Marmalade the cat
141
00:15:42.779 --> 00:15:47.759
ever wanted to go for a ride, which I frankly doubted,
142
00:15:49.190 --> 00:15:56.570
having met her. She liked being the queen up on
143
00:15:56.629 --> 00:16:01.330
her perch and seemed to prefer to watch the world
144
00:16:01.389 --> 00:16:07.409
go by from her window at home. The bikes were
145
00:16:07.470 --> 00:16:14.730
nearly ready, shiny and assembled in the workshop, and had
146
00:16:14.750 --> 00:16:19.250
been waiting for a final touch, which now I had.
147
00:16:22.830 --> 00:16:27.210
I drew a map to the romantic spot by the
148
00:16:27.250 --> 00:16:33.629
lake I'd discovered. It took a few attempts. I'd gotten
149
00:16:33.710 --> 00:16:39.379
out my ruler and colored pencils and marked it with
150
00:16:39.440 --> 00:16:46.539
an X. I rolled it into a scroll and tied
151
00:16:46.600 --> 00:16:52.379
it with a ribbon to his handlebars. Now their first
152
00:16:52.450 --> 00:17:05.529
date night was sorted. Something new. Though the summer was
153
00:17:05.630 --> 00:17:15.460
winding down, the bicycle shop was still busy. We had
154
00:17:15.480 --> 00:17:23.480
our now annual autumn rides planned. and our customers were
155
00:17:23.559 --> 00:17:29.180
coming in to get tune-ups and have their tires patched
156
00:17:29.759 --> 00:17:37.589
or replaced. In my opinion, some of the best riding
157
00:17:37.829 --> 00:17:43.190
of the year lay ahead of us in the months
158
00:17:43.390 --> 00:17:51.059
between the heat of summer and the first snow. I'd
159
00:17:51.119 --> 00:17:57.839
been riding Every day, well, I always bike into work,
160
00:17:59.259 --> 00:18:04.900
as long as it's not bucketing down rain. And on
161
00:18:04.940 --> 00:18:09.490
the way back home, I often go out of my
162
00:18:09.549 --> 00:18:15.789
way just to ride through neighborhoods and out into the
163
00:18:15.869 --> 00:18:23.599
country a bit. Time on a bike always feels like
164
00:18:23.779 --> 00:18:30.700
time well spent. I find I do some of my
165
00:18:30.920 --> 00:18:40.950
best thinking while pedaling. There's something about my body being engaged,
166
00:18:42.690 --> 00:18:50.000
the steady rhythm of my legs. It translates to a calm,
167
00:18:51.490 --> 00:18:58.079
clear head. If I go too many days without it,
168
00:18:59.460 --> 00:19:03.579
I start to feel like a computer with too many
169
00:19:03.660 --> 00:19:11.950
windows open. Lately, I'd been riding through a part of
170
00:19:12.029 --> 00:19:20.680
town I'd not explored much before. At the end of
171
00:19:20.720 --> 00:19:26.220
a long road, which I guess I'd thought was a
172
00:19:26.259 --> 00:19:34.269
dead end, but was in fact a curve, the pavement
173
00:19:34.490 --> 00:19:44.529
turned to gravel and circled around a small lake. The
174
00:19:44.569 --> 00:19:48.549
first time I'd followed the curve and seen the view
175
00:19:51.140 --> 00:19:57.170
I'd stopped my bike, dropping one foot onto the gravel
176
00:19:59.730 --> 00:20:07.029
and leaning into my handlebars. I was just a little
177
00:20:07.269 --> 00:20:14.480
out of breath, and reached for my water bottle and
178
00:20:14.519 --> 00:20:22.450
took a long sip. There were a few docks stretched
179
00:20:22.750 --> 00:20:29.619
out into the lake, and along the far side were
180
00:20:29.680 --> 00:20:39.759
tall pine trees and a scattering of houses. I slid
181
00:20:39.819 --> 00:20:45.859
my bottle back into its holder and started to bike
182
00:20:46.599 --> 00:20:55.529
around the lake. Most of the road was shaded by
183
00:20:55.589 --> 00:21:00.509
the large old trees and there was a bit of
184
00:21:00.609 --> 00:21:09.740
breeze coming off the water. I could smell pine and
185
00:21:09.759 --> 00:21:19.089
something sweet, maybe lilies or freesia. Beside one of the docks,
186
00:21:20.329 --> 00:21:30.119
I spotted an egret, so elegant-seeming, with his long neck
187
00:21:30.480 --> 00:21:35.769
extended as he picked his way through the shallow water.
188
00:21:40.069 --> 00:21:46.089
The trip around the lake had only taken a few minutes,
189
00:21:48.109 --> 00:21:52.529
and I found on the far side of it several
190
00:21:52.690 --> 00:22:03.630
narrow roads to continue my exploration. I debated adding the
191
00:22:03.690 --> 00:22:11.950
route to our next community bike ride, but for now
192
00:22:12.089 --> 00:22:18.049
it felt like my secret, and I wanted to keep it.
193
00:22:21.950 --> 00:22:28.380
I thought of the grassy lots I'd seen, where a
194
00:22:28.460 --> 00:22:36.400
picnic blanket could be spread, the shallow spots where lily
195
00:22:36.460 --> 00:22:50.119
pads flourished, and croaking frogs lived. It was romantic. That
196
00:22:50.160 --> 00:22:55.089
was the word I'd been looking for. The spot I'd
197
00:22:55.140 --> 00:23:04.210
found was romantic. That was when I realized I should
198
00:23:04.329 --> 00:23:13.009
share my secret bike route, but Not with my community riders. Instead,
199
00:23:13.029 --> 00:23:19.180
it could be part of a gift. There was a
200
00:23:19.500 --> 00:23:27.319
wedding coming up. Just a couple weeks away now. And
201
00:23:27.380 --> 00:23:31.329
I'd been working on my gift for the couple in
202
00:23:31.369 --> 00:23:39.750
my workshop. I'd known them both for a while. but
203
00:23:39.789 --> 00:23:45.750
had first met the groom a few years before, when
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I'd stopped my bike at a dog park. He'd been
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there with his greyhound, Birdie, trying to get him to
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chase a ball. I'd watched from my bike, chuckling under
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my breath, as he threw the ball again and again,
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going himself to retrieve it, as his dog lay in
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a cool patch of grass, watching disinterestedly. Eventually, he spotted
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me laughing and laughed himself, coming up to the fence
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and shrugging his shoulders. I... Don't think he wants to
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play ball, he said. Nope, I agreed. We started talking,
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and he told me Birdie was a rescue and had
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likely run as much as he ever wanted to, so
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would probably spend the rest of his days lounging away.
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I asked if I could say hi to Birdie, and
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he waved me into the fenced area. I've always had
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a love for greyhounds. I'm getting to pet Bird's soft
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grey ears and scratch his chest. It had made my day.
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I don't remember when or how, but we bumped into
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each other again a little while later. Maybe at the
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bakery or the bookshop. And we'd become friends. We'd gone
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to the big Friendsgiving party in town together. We'd found
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a few others to make up a trivia team, and
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one enough that our names were still up on the
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blackboard at the pub. Cookouts, movies, me fixing his rickety
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old bike whenever it broke down, him telling me about
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a friend who'd found a little orange kitten, and how
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he and Bluebird had been visiting them. Then, that she'd
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adopted a little dog called Crumb, the name had made
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me laugh. I started to notice how he talked about her,
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how much he talked about her. and I wondered if
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he could hear the smile in his voice whenever he
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said her name. I could. Sometimes it takes us a
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while to see what our friends can see so easily.
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When he'd stopped by the shop and asked if I
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could help him move a few things, well, actually, everything,
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I'd laughed and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. We'd
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had a congratulatory cup of coffee in my workshop, and
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I'd let him go on about her for as long
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as he liked. By then, she'd been coming to trivia
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night for a few weeks. and was the strongest player
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we had, better than either of us. It was a
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joy to watch my friend fall in love. And while
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it was slightly less joyful to help him haul his
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sofa up her porch steps, I'd been there for that, too.
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And now, I'd be standing up with him in the wedding.
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And between getting my suit fitted and my shoes polished,
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I'd been building two new bikes for them in the shop.
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They'd need something new for their wedding. and I was
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tired of putting his old bike back together. They were
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matching cruisers, his gray and hers orange, in tribute to
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their first beloved pets. I'd added a brown basket to hers,
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so that Crum would also be represented. and even gotten
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them a little pet trailer that attached to the back
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of either bike. in case Marmalade the cat ever wanted
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to go for a ride. Which I frankly doubted, having
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met her. She liked being the queen up on her perch.
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and seemed to prefer to watch the world go by
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from her window at home. The bikes were nearly ready,
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shiny and assembled in the workshop, and had just been
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waiting for a final touch, which now I had. I
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drew a map to the romantic spot by the lake.
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It took a few attempts. I'd gotten out my ruler
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and colored pencils and marked it with an X. I
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rolled it into a scroll and tied it with a
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ribbon to his handlebars. Their first date night was sorted.
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Sweet dreams.
