Biking with kids

I have four children, ages 14, 11, 10 and 7. We love to go biking together. Today we took an 11.5 mile trip from our home in San Clemente, along the coast of the Pacific Ocean, up to San Juan Capistrano, at the confluence of the San Juan and Trabuco Creeks. We ate at Ruby's in their roof-top dining area, then made our way home, with a brief stop at Creekside Park for some rock wall climbing and lying in the sun. Four splendid hours together.

Here are a few thoughts at the close of the day:

Buy the bikes

You have to spend the money to have a garage full of bikes. We've had bikes stolen - buy a new one. We've had wheels bent - get it fixed. We've had hand brakes that little hands couldn't quite squeeze - get a bike with coaster brakes that can be used. I've not spent a fortune, but I've kept the fleet on wheels.

It's easy to spend a ton of money on the things of life, things that you want, or wanted, but which don't mean so much in a short time. But what are those things that really give you a little slice of lasting satisfaction? Don't miss them.

Explore a little further

Each time we go, it's a small-scale adventure. We don't load up bike racks and drive to ideal bike routes . We just begin each trip in our driveway. Yet from that humble starting point, the world opens up.

From my perspective, I see new views of our community because I'm taking new routes. I'm going slow enough to see and think. From my kids' perspective, it must be that and more. When someone drives you to a destination, it's possible to go there 100 times but not know how to get there yourself. It's only when you are at the wheel, making the decisions at each turn in the road, that you gain the knowledge for yourself. Only then are you paying attention.

On each trip my kids gain confidence as they learn to move along in the world. They come back brimming with ideas about all the places we can go next. The day is coming when they will be grown and leave my house, but it will be something not unlike "just the next bike trip."

Soak in the sunshine

We live in a beautiful world, but it's so easy to miss it. The sky was a brilliant blue today and we saw it. The ocean breeze was cool and steady and we felt it. The sun was hot, especially when the breeze let up, and we soaked it in. San Juan was bustling with people and we were part of them.

But isn't the bit of sunshine that can be most easily missed my children themselves? Each one is a ray of light, direct from God, sent to me without my deserving. And on top of that, he's also given me the grace to realize this and be thankful.