Day 173 - Tea and Sandbox

Thought of the day: It was a sunny and beautiful day.  I was out and about with Lila on the bike for much of the day and felt incredibly lucky to be able to do just that.  On the way I had been thinking why biking made people happy as I saw a lot of smiling bikers but not too many smiling drivers.  The hormonal impact of sunlight and physical exercise on our mood can definitely be a factor.  Also, being out in the open air gives you a feeling of connectedness to the universe and to other creatures that you will not otherwise experience boxed inside a car.  In addition, biking gives you more freedom and flexibility - you can "park" pretty much anywhere and don't need to worry about feeding the meters - and as a result I often end up stopping by more places than I have originally planned.  All of these contribute to a good mood that can be positively reinforced through interactions with other people as you will inevitably carry your good mood into the interactions and thus affect a more positive and happier outcome.  Yes, I do believe that happiness begets happiness and it's easy to get it all started by simply getting on a bike.

Photo of the day:

We stopped by Trident Cafe where Lila played with a few other kids in the sandbox, while I got to relax and did a bit of reading in the company of a pot of green tea.