bicycle philosophy

“When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race.” -H.G. Wells-

“Get a bicycle. You will not regret it.”
-Mark Twain, Taming the Bicycle-

“Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride.”
-John F. Kennedy-

“Think of bicycles as rideable art that can just about save the world.”
-Grant Petersen-

“Bicycles are almost as good as guitars for meeting girls”
-Bob Weir, Grateful Dead-

“This is their hobby. They have bicycles instead of Porsches or golf clubs.”
-Jennifer Johnson-

“Bicycles are social catalysts that attract a superior category of people”
-Chip Brown-

“Let a man find himself, in distinction from others, on top of two wheels with a chain and his vanity begins to swell out like his tires.”
-Leon Trotsky-

“The bicycle surely, should always be the vehicle of novelists and poets.”
-Christopher Morley (American author and editor 1890-1957)-

“The bicycle is the most efficient machine ever created: Converting calories into gas, a bicycle gets the equivalent of three thousand miles per gallon.”
-Bill Strickland, The Quotable Cyclist-

“I don’t believe in Peter Pan, Frankenstein or Superman; All I wanna do is bicycle, bicycle, bicycle…”
-Freddie Mercury, Queen, 1978-

“The bicycle is the most civilized conveyance known to man. Other forms of transport grow daily more nightmarish. Only the bicycle remains pure in heart.”
-Irish Murdoch, ‘The Red and the Green’-

“The bicycle is the noblest invention of mankind.”
-William Saroyan, ‘The Noiseless Tenor’-

“In politics, one can learn some things from cycling, such as how to have character and courage. Sometimes in politics there isn’t enough of those things.”
-Guy Verhofstadt, Prime Minister of Belgium, 2004-

“Whoever invented the bicycle deserves the thanks of humanity.”
-Lord Charles Beresford-

“When you ride a bike and you get your heart rate up and you’re out, after 30 or 40 minutes your mind tends to expand; it tends to relax.”
-President George W Bush, May 2004-

“I thought of that while riding my bike.”
-Albert Einstein, on the theory of relativity-

“When the spirits are low, when the day appears dark, when work becomes monotonous, when hope hardly seems worth having, just mount a bicycle and go out for a spin down the road”
-Sherlock Holmes author, Arthur Conan Doyle, Scientific American, 1896-

rendezvous dalam lift

Ting tong

Aku memasuki lift kaca itu seperti biasa rutinitas keseharian, turun naik lobby lantai dasar-kantorku di lantai 11- turun ngerokok ke parkiran lantai 8 – balik ke lantai 11 lagi - turun ke lobby lantai dasar lagi. Begitu terus.

Hingga suatu saat,

Sore hari yang usual, seperti hari-hari kerja lainnya.

Ting tong, pintu lift terbuka di parkiran lantai 3.

Sosok manis jelita memasuki lift yang sudah berisi 4 orang itu.

Betul-betul kreasi Yang Maha Pencipta edisi paling mutakhir. Tinggi semampai, rambut bergelombang, cantik luar biasa dengan balutan stocking hitam dan high heel.

Eh, sepertinya wajah ini familiar. Si manis juga menoleh sekilas ke arah ku. Pandangan mata kami bertemu.

Saling berebut menyapa nama. Nyaris bersamaan. Lalu tertawa tertahan.

Ah udah lama sekali, dimana kamu sekarang. Saling menanyakan kabar.

Sang jelita adalah seseorang dari masa lalu yang indah. masa-masa masih berbalut jeans butut dan menyandang ransel butut. Masa dimana bersamanya dapat melihat sisi dunia yang lebih indah.

Ting tong. Pintu lift akhirnya terbuka di lobby lantai dasar.

Saat itu pembicaraan sudah sampai ke:

terakhir kalo nggak salah waktu itu kamu mau married kan ya? Demikian tanyaku mencoba merefresh ingatan.

Ah aku masih sendiri kok, jawab si cantik. Lalu matanya mengerling.

Nomor kamu berapa sekarang? Kata si cantik saat kami akan berpisah langkah. Kami pun bertukar nomor selular.

Kantorku di gedung itu, tunjuknya ke salah satu gedung di komplek perkantoran ini.

Kupanggil namanya dengan agak ragu sebelum ia hilang dari pandangan.

Langkahnya terhenti, lalu menoleh ke arahku.

Wanna join me for a cup of coffee after office hours?

Si jelita mengangguk anggun.