We have interesting garden ornaments. Take our pushbikes, for example: they were never designed to be garden ornaments – but that’s what they evolved into, given our lack of attention to them.
We exercise every day. However, we’re not frequent riders. This is somewhat of a surprise as we’ve been frequent riders in the past. Just not lately – and by that I mean for the last couple of decades – since the children were born, really.
So here’s our dilemma: we take the bikes to a shop to get an overhaul, we bring them home functioning like new, chains aligned and oiled, gears and brakes checked. We use them maybe once or twice, then store them within easy reach for maximum inspiration … and we forget about them so much that the grass starts growing through their spokes. Before we know it a year has gone by: we have less exercise equipment and more garden ornaments.
This cycle (no pun intended) continues until someone says, “I think I might try riding again.” So we take the bikes to a shop to get an overhaul, we bring them home functioning like new, chains aligned and oiled, gears and brakes checked. We use them maybe once or twice, then store them within easy reach for maximum inspiration … and again we forget about them so much that the grass starts growing through their spokes. Before we know it another year has gone by: we have less exercise equipment and the same garden ornaments, in a different spot.
How many times do we subject ourselves to this before admitting that these freedom machines would be better off in someone else’s hands – someone who would actually use them, and who could fix the common things that go wrong? How many times do we want to be reminded of our failure as bike-riders and maintenance people?
Hmmm …. I see the deadly treadlies are coming out again. Catch me again in a year and I’ll let you know where our garden ornaments ended up this time.
Annabel Harz: Author and Artist 