My luggage is chronically overweight, moving in and out of the dorm is consistently a multi-car trip process, and I’m always unable to find what I need. I thought Spokes would finally be my chance to be a successful minimalist. I came into this trip with a lightly packed duffel and backpack — I had two sets of day clothes (which doubled as sleepwear and exercise clothing) and two sets of bike clothes. For one week, I was indeed a happy minimalist. Unfortunately, as I we started spending more and more rest days in towns with thrift stores, at this point in the trip all my bags are literally bursting at their seams.
Like most aspiring minimalists, I’ve read my fair share of Marie Kondo. She teaches us to only keep the things in life that spark joy. Today, I decided to document 10 things, both the physical (to rationalize owning my current possessions) and the nonphysical (as an exercise for myself to find happiness beyond material goods), that spark joy for me on this trip. Here goes!
1) My fresh crop of morning alfalfa
Here is a photo of me at 6am right after waking up. Every night, my head generates a new shape for these alfalfas (a term introduced by Jordan to describe my hair) to become to pleasantly surprise me in the morning. It’s the same vibe as abstract art. They require zero maintenance, because I plop my helmet on them shortly after.
2) Suave Men’s 3 in 1, citrus flavored
Yes, the bottle is massive and takes up an atrocious amount of backpack space. Yes, there is a Ziplock bag covering it because I broke the cap upon the first use. But 8 bucks to clean your whole body (for up to 24 hours!) is an objectively great deal. My Suave is a must-have in between biking.
3) Long compression bike socks from PeopleForBikes
Thanks so much to PeopleForBikes for gifting these to us! They are a must-have if you want to bike to avoid blistering, ticks, and dirt and bug bites on the ankle. They are also just fun to look at.
4) PB & J and black coffee
These are my two favorite cuisines of all time. They are the perfect way to begin the morning, ensuring happiness and energy before the bike ride.
5) The feeling to making it to lunch break! Featuring new glasses frames and helmet hair!
There is nothing better than knowing a PB & J or mayo sandwich is awaiting you after a 27-mile ride, hence the smile. Also, this is the first day I’m using real glasses frames since Day 2 (I stepped on my old frames that night, so my glasses have been held together by duct tape and superglue until I bought new frames in Denver), and gosh, it’s so nice to be able to see again. Finally, as you can see, the alfalfas have been tamed. I promise, too, taking your sweaty helmet off after a couple hours is the best feeling ever.
6) Fruit at the perfect ripeness
Massive shout-out to Jordan and Victoria for making a grocery run in the morning to get us lunch supplies. Bananas are the best fruit, and they clearly picked the perfect hand of bananas (full transparency, I had to Google the proper term for a bunch of attached bananas, you’re welcome).
7) Car crew karaoke!
After lunch break, I hopped behind the wheel for my driving shift and said goodbye to biking for the day! Victoria and I enjoyed the AC, audio system, and how easy the hills suddenly become.
8) Excess energy for a jog!
After being in the car with AC, I was feeling restless when we arrived at our host’s home today afternoon. I decided to go on a run — look at these pretty flowers and trees I found!
9) Reading
Reading is the perfect activity for any down time. It helps me forget the hills for a little, is enjoyable without needing WIFI, and is good for helping my brain maintain some shape when I’m not in class. I finished reaching Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner. It’s both heartbreaking and beautifully written. Everyone should read it!
10) Kombucha!!
Our host today kindly supplied us with Kombucha as well as many other delicious foods. Kombucha is objectively the best beverage humans have created. The Kombucha was also the perfect drink to motivate me to write this post all in one go.