My wife got ahold of me as I was on my two-wheeled way into town (bless the inventor of the cell phone.) I doubled back and found his stuff waiting patiently in the front hall.
When one commutes by bicycle, bags and racks are key. I'm one of those OCD types who can't stand to have a bag on his back. They limit my mobility and vision, they're hot, and they mess up my center of gravity. In a pinch, I'll wear one. But it's generally best to keep cargo as low as possible on the frame of the bike. So I set out to find places to stuff my son's gear.
I managed to get his lunch bag into one of the bags clipped onto my rear rack. But the backpack was just too big, and wasn't going anywhere. So I slipped it onto my back and set off. By the first set of lights, I had forgotten I was even wearing it - little people, apparently, travel light.
A few minutes later, I noticed motorists and pedestrians were looking at me funny. Some were smiling. Others waved. A couple of drivers even honked. I wondered what all the commotion was about.
Time out for some context-setting: I am not a morning person. I process more slowly in the few hours after I awake. Today was even worse because it was a very foggy morning. I'm not sure what that has to do with my aversion to mornings, but I felt it important enough to include here. Let's continue...It eventually dawned on me that folks thought a grown man wearing a Batman backpack on a bicycle was a pretty odd thing. I smiled at the thought and cruised the rest of the way to school.
In the end, a little guy had his lunch, and I got to enjoy a few minutes of utter silliness in what is usually a depressingly mundane vehicular battle to get into town. And I made a few strangers smile.
A good day all around.
Your turn: Ever done anything that makes complete strangers break into ear-to-ear grins?
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25 comments:
That ususally happens when I take pictures of my food at restaurants.
Here this time via Michele!
Have a great weekend!
Batman backpack? Why, is that weird or something?
I have a Hello Kitty wallet.
Greetings from Michele's.
Riding a bike with the Batman backpack is AWESOME!
I went on a field trip with my 3-year-old and her class to the Shedd Aquarium today. I was talking to one of the workers there (I don't know what they're called, attendants?) about how some of the sharks were just sitting at the bottom of the tank (some can because of their air bladders) and I said that the other ones are the mean ones because they can't ever stop. That was worth a laugh.
And thanks for the story at my blog, too. Whew. Here via Michele's.
Did you hum the batman song while you were riding?
Here from Michele's
Here via Michele's.
That is a great about the backpack! I would have been pointing and laughing at you. Of course in a totally positive way that wouldn't hurt your feelings. Of course...
I love the thought of you with a Batman backpack on a bike, Carmi!
I have been known to fall asleep in out van on the way to gigs with a blowup pillow around my neck. When we stop at rest areas, the band will wake me up and I will ALWAYS get up to use the restroom. (That's the rule. You never know when there will be another one!) Most of the time I would forget to take the neck pillow off. I can recall people pointing and laughing at that poor girl who is half-asleep with a purple neck pillow around her neck stumbling towards the ladies room!
Hope you are having a great weekend. Michele sent me this time!
HERE
Hey Carmi! I'm here all by myself this time. I've been trying to visit more often, since I always like hearing about your kids.
A few years ago I was at an Officers Spouses Club board meeting and excused myself "to go potty." Mmm-hmmm, no giggles there.
Awe, too cute! I can just picture this scene.
Something that made strangers smile? Some days I just play a little game where I smile to people as they pass just to see if they'll do it back. You ever do that?
Michele sent me, of course.
(and as you don't allow 'other' as an identity, i'm at atpanda.blog.com)
Hello, here from Michele's again this week. What a great story! Have a great weekend!
Well that was just so funny and made for a great visual! You said I was a good mom well I think you are a great dad for going through that for your son :) You are a hero! As for me, nothing comes to mind at the moment, but I know there has to be a thing or two out there!
I want a Batman back pack!!! I think we are all forced to grow up far too quickly. If more people wore Batman, or Superman, or Teletubbie, or Dora the Explorer backpacks, surely the world would be a better place. :o)
I'd be willing to bet that at least some of those strangers figured out that the pack wasn't yours. since having my little princess I have been known to make my way through town carrying her Winnie the Pooh pack and not on a rescue mission too.
How nice that you made them smile and glad you had a good day!
Yes - the day after my wedding I still had the flower display and a just married sign on my wheelchair when I walked to a local pub to meet family for lunch! Lots of honking and waving - it was fab.
Yes - the day after my wedding I still had the flower display and a just married sign on my wheelchair when I walked to a local pub to meet family for lunch! Lots of honking and waving - it was fab.
When we bury our son in the sand at the beach, with just his head sticking out, he attracts quite a few visitors.
That's such a cute story! Thanks for making me smile this morning!
michele sent me.
At least you can carry his backpack. Wait until he is in middle school and his backpack weighs more than what hilary climbed Everest with. My son's back pack is bigger than the one I used in college.
Hi - I'm here from Michele's - that's a great story!
i usually get grins, sometimes weird looks and pointed fingers when i sing along to favorite songs on the radio. i not just sing along, my whole body moves, especially when i'm caught in traffic! :)
here via michele today.
Howdy~Michele sent me today! :)
Now THAT was funny. I got a great visual image in my head.
Greetings from Wisconsin...and Michele's. Cute story!
Hi Carmi!
I love the image of you on your bike with a small Batman backpack. I've never heard complete strangers laughing out loud at something I've done, but the bright purple coat and turquoise hat/gloves that I wear on cold Seattle days seem to be good for grins from people I pass on the street.
Here from Michele's today.
When I worked in Oklahoma City I used to take lunch hour from the lab to run errands at a local mall..indoors, escalators etc. One day after working all day and doing these errands at lunch, I sat in the grossing room to take the tissue samples for processing. My helper looked at me and said, "Dr. P, why do you have on two different shoes?" I looked down and lo and behold, I had a navy shoe on one foot and a taupe shoe on the other. Both were open toed shoes of different styles; obviously the heels were of the same height. I was mortified. I wore these all day, out and about in the mall at noon and no one told me until the day was almost over.
It wouldn't have been so bad if the shoes had been navy and black; and I wish I could say this was the only time I did this, but it's not.
And thanks to you and your family, it's nice to hear that someone appreciates their physicians. I can assure you that a simple "thank you" does more for a doctor's spirit than anything.
Here this time from Michele's.
Hey, in an even more imperfect world, it could have been a Barbie backpack. Not that that's ever happened to me before. BLUSH.
When I was young and in library school, I had a student job as a cataloguer. I used to be one of those librarians with her hair in a bun, and when I was cataloguing, I would absent-mindedly stick my pencil in it for convenience.
One day, while walking home from work, I noticed that everybody I passed would start to smile at me. It turned out that I had not one - but THREE - pencils sticking out of my head.
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