Zen and the Art of Disassembling a Bike

A year or two ago I read Robert Pirsig's "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance". Overall, I enjoyed the book but admit that it was REALLY confusing at times. Rather than dismiss the dude as a whack-job, I left the book thinking that I might've been missing some of the points he was trying to make. Maybe our brains were just on different wavelengths, or maybe I just needed to go through experiences more similiar to his in order to better grasp his ideas. This weekend...just a little part of that mission accomplished.

On Saturday, I woke up around noon with what wasn't really a hangover but more of a "sluggish feeling" from drinking into the wee hours of the previous night. Despite this, I was focused on getting up and making it to Workshop Houston (http://www.workshophouston.org/), where I had committed to an hour of volunteering in their bike shop. Slowly but surely, I bathed, got dressed, ate brunch, and made my way (with Jennifer, poor thing) over to the shop.

Ok, after telling them I'd be there at 1 PM, I didn't actually show up until 3 PM. But at least I made it, right?

Anyways, after brief introductions, I started off by disassembling one of their donated bikes under the guidance of a more experienced volunteer. Slowly but surely, I completely stripped the old, raggedy bike down to its core. Off came the gears, handlebars, brakes, tires, everything! We threw ALL of the parts into a bucket and then arranged them into their rightful spots around the workshop so that they can be used to build new bikes in the future.

Seriously awesome experience that provided me with a deeper appreciation for the art of bike-design and only furthered my interest in getting more involved in the "bike-world". If this does develop into a full-fledged passion, I already have visions of being a bike advocate in Houston, both educating citizens on the benefits of biking and pushing for city government to make the city more bike-friendly. I might even want to open my own bike shop down the road. Dreamin' again...I like it!

Last, but surely not least, there was a moment in the workshop, when I was simply loosening a screw of all things, that I felt an overwhelming sense of happiness. I was just really thrilled with the idea of learning about bikes, an engineering marvel, so up close and personal. And no joke, I thought back to "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" and what I perceived to be part of Pirsig's message. Rather than just consuming "final products", take time to play around with the very tools and machinery that produce that product. Get right into the middle of a bike or motorcycle, meddle around a little, and you just might find your mind settling into a peaceful, meditative state. Aha!