First let’s talk about memories that can’t be bought

About three weeks ago I was having a tough day, working late, and as our last staff member locked the door and headed home, a song began to echo throughout the empty shop. It was John Prine’s Souvenirs. I wasn’t sure who put it on, but quite a few people in the shop know John Prine is my absolute favorite, so I knew it was intentional, and their small but thoughtful gift meant a lot to me.

John Prine passed away from the Coronavirus earlier this week. Others have passed on as well, folks near and dear to each of us, and it feels more than hard. It feels heavy.

Before you read my post this week, I’d love for you to listen to these lyrics.

When I hear the line “memories they can’t be bought, they can’t be won at carnivals for free..” it makes me thing a lot about BBP, the people who’ve come and gone and the people who’ve been around since the beginning. There are so many memories that I cherish, so many mini miracles when hard times were overcome through a mix of sheer determination, good luck, and good people.

Right now I find myself wondering, how will I look back at this moment/memory? Of course there will be things I’ll wish I could go back and do differently… there’s never been such a difficult time to predict the future… but what I really wonder is if I’ll look back and say, I let that moment slip away, or I was too scared of losing it at all to take the next big step.

In the middle of this enormous tragedy, and that’s exactly what this is, I truly believe there’s a big step/s to be taken. And while I don’t know exactly what those steps are yet, I’m confident they have something to do with the gaps in our community becoming more and more visible and the messed up speed we’ve been traveling for too long. I also think that now, more than ever, trying counts. Iteration counts. Empathy counts.

5 new Homework Assignments

We’ve got 5 bicycle-focused homework assignments for you this week that allow for plenty of Vitamin D, exercise and social distancing. We started these assignments last week and are giving you some extra time to catch up if you missed them. The goal is knock 3 of the 5 assignments out of the freaking park each week. The hope is to use these activities to stay connected and forward focused while adding a dash of creativity.

1. Bike Culture Happy Hour on YouTube live (Thursday 4/16 at 7pm)

Our dear friends at Filmed By Bike are hosting weekly Bike Culture Happy Hours with guests from around the world. This week I (Jimmy) will be on the show. Put in on your calendar and tune in here.

2. Add your voice to the Bicycle Friendly Community Survey

In January, the City of Boise reapplied for its Bicycle Friendly Community designation. We were awarded Sliver about 6 years ago. The League needs your feedback to make an accurate designation in 2020, and it takes 10 minutes. Here’s the form/Survey.

Since the last application, BBP and our nonprofit partners have helped Boise launch a new bike share program, open a new section of Greenbelt, build the Mountain Bike Skills Park, host an annual Filmed By Bike Festival, bring mountain biking back to Bogus Basin, pull 8,000lbs of Goatheads, launch Boise Goathead Fest, create bicycle programs at the women and men’s prisons, donate over 5000 bicycles to kids from at-risk communities… and so much more.

3. Do a Neighborhood Walk Audit

On Saturday 4/11 I’ll teach you how to do a simple neighborhood walk audit on BBP’s Instagram and Facebook stories. Watch the videos if you can, then find a time this week, maybe on Easter Sunday, to do a walk audit in your own neighborhood. We’re looking for hazards, opportunities to calm traffic, pathway opportunities, and other things that would make our neighborhoods more walkable and bikeable. Take notes, take pictures, take videos, post them social media or email them to nina@boisebicycleproject.org

4. Zoom Lunch with Jimmy (Wed 4/15)

Join us for a lunch time Bike-a-bout Boise: A Zoom and pedal-powered lunch break this Wednesday (4/15).

12:00pm: Start riding
12:10pm: Find nice piece of ground to relax on
12:15pm: Zoom into https://zoom.us/j/163239922 Meeting ID: 163 239 922. It may be best to download the zoom app if you’ll be riding around like me
12:15pm: Intro and Bike Show and Tell
12:25pm: BBP Update
12:30pm: 20 Questions With Jimmy
12:45pm: Zoom out, ride home

5. Submit Your Favorite Bike Story (Article, Podcast, Video…)

We’d like to feature some of your favorite bicycle related stories in next week’s homework assignments. Send your top picks to jimmy@boisebicycleproject.org

Some of them are already being compiled on BBP’s All About Bikes Pinterest page.

* Bonus* Complete An Assignment from Last week

Deadline Extended! Pick one of last week’s assignments that you didn’t get to and bump it to this week. Find them here!

5 Bicycle Things to do After You Listen to this Song