Joy and community can be found in surprising places. For Lauren Nazario, it’s on two wheels, on the slow streets of San Francisco.
Few things give me more joy than watching my children spend time on their bikes. This past January, we enjoyed a break from the rain and spent the day on the Miwok trail in San Rafael. It was their first time mountain biking and a beautiful day. They struggled to get up the hills, were rewarded with a downhill, and traversed across bridges and so many puddles. My son, the younger of the two, gathered speed and whipped through the puddles, feet up, like a pro.
Biking gives my two-and-four-year old children confidence and the freedom to move independently. They commute to school on their bikes and expertly navigate crowds in the Panhandle;. a difficult task for such young kids. Recently, an older gentleman pulled alongside of us: “isn’t it glorious. what a beautiful way to get to school.” These are the interactions that energize us. They make us feel pure joy. When we arrive at school, the kids are beaming with pride.
After school, it’s a spontaneous bike posse to the park. Once on the JFK Promenade, the kids soar. They race to the doggie diner heads, wait for their friends, head past the roller skaters, and down to the blue playground for snacks and monkey bars. We loop home through the Music Concourse, down Slow Page, and classmates shout hello. What could be more fun for a kid?
As we ride home, we’re encouraged by the network of safe streets, all the joyous faces, and are thankful. Thankful that voters in San Francisco overwhelmingly voted to preserve the Promenade and thankful for the growing network of safe streets for our kids to ride.