Today’s ThinkKit prompt:

Nametags and punchbowls aren’t necessary (but we’re okay with that!) – who did you meet this year? Was it awkward? Enlightening? Was your first impression correct? Was it accidental & meant to be, pre-arranged, or somewhere in-between? Whether you found a soulmate, held a new baby, or finally trusted someone to style your hair just so, write about a new person (or people) in your life.

I don’t remember exactly why I started riding my bike. Partly because I hate going to the gym but know I need to exercise, partly because I didn’t want to pay $45/month for a parking spot downtown (I’m cheap, chalk it up to my Jewish genes) and partly because my car has become more and more unreliable but I can’t part ways with it just yet.

As long as the temperature was above 35 degrees, you could find me on my bike riding to and from work. The cold days were rough; I’d bundle up in three or four layers complete with a scarf wrapped around my face. I wouldn’t see a single soul on my trek that wrapped around the fairgrounds to Fall Creek to the Monon but I’d catch up on new music and enjoy the peaceful solo ride.

Once it warmed up a bit and the temperatures rose into the 60’s, I started to wrangle in my friends to do some Sunday rides. I baited them with the promise of drinking cocktails and patio hopping from Broad Ripple to downtown, and named our adventures the Monon Booze Cruise. We always started at Plumps, drank a beer until everyone arrived and then would head south. Some spots we hit were Bakersfield, Fountain Square Brewery and Front Page. We even switched it up one week and went north to Carmel’s Union Brewing Company.

Hanging outside of Bakersfield drinking margs with my bike gang.

While I didn’t necessarily meet new people, I brought together some groups of friends that otherwise wouldn’t cross paths. I also became closer friends with previous acquaintances. We bonded over mimosas in water bottles, flat tires, bocce ball at B’s and the sweaty (sometimes drunken) bike rides home. It’s legal to drink and pedal, right?

Sometimes we would even carry the party on into the evening at Flatwater. Sunday Funday y’all! Sundays became my favorite day of the week. Even though our adventures were more often than not fueled by booze, I gained a new group of close pals out of it. Good times were always had and I did more than my fair share of laughing. I don’t know if anyone would be up for a winter booze cruise, so I guess I’ll have to wait until the sun comes back out in the spring.

Isn’t it great when something so simple brings people together?