Why cycling is awesome?

What do I get from cycling?  The question I'm sure is covered in over a hundred other, if not thousand, blogs on the internet. But what do I personally get out of it?  Not just the big categorical things that everyone could expect?

The number one reason I bike is to blow off steam.  I just recently graduated college with my Bachelor degree in Software Engineering.  I've always worked 40+ hours a week since I've graduated high school.  I have two wonderful children and a beautiful wife.  That in itself requires a bit of time.  I have to blow of steam just like everyone else.  Most people have a drink.  Some people watch baseball (and have a drink).  Some people collect.... things.  I'm not a collector and I don't like to watch sporting events, I'd rather be playing.  Organized sports are a pain to plan and get together when you are an adult.  I do play indoor soccer but that is still rare.  Games are only once a week, that isn't enough to really blow off steam any ways.  So a daily or almost daily workout or bike ride removes the edge.

I bike to see parts of the city.  I find it adventurous to bike in Oklahoma City.  There is no adventure unless there is a little bit of a risk.  And let me tell you, it feels risky pedaling in this town.  The downside is the amount of stops required to pedal in the urban areas.  But, you get through it.  You also spot a ton of hole in the wall restaurants you had no idea about.  These trips around the city give me some of my best "quiet thinking times".  These quiet times are when I get my ¡Ay, caramba! ideas about life, work, etc.  They help me level out. 

It gets me to read really cool blogs and articles that I would have never read before.  My best example is Urban Simplicity and Change Your Life. Ride a Bike!.  Two wonder blogs about cycling and their lives around cycling.  One you get great ideas about cooking and simpler life.  This really peaks my interest in cooking.  I've actually done quite a bit more recently.  In the last week I made a meatloaf, chicken enchiladas, wheat bread and pancakes all from scratch.  This is coming from a house that orders food 90% of the time.  The other blog does a great deal about showing everyday people on bikes and how, I hate to say it, cool they look.  It makes me wish I was in San Fran or some other cooler climate where I could bike 90% of the year.

Hope this gets one more person on a bike.

cheers,