BICYCLE

Exercise invigorates. It gives you time to explore and examine your neighborhood. Though everyone I meet is kind and welcoming, there is a certain sterility unique to suburbia, I think. The similarity of all the houses, differentiated only by their colored windowpanes, feels suffocating. I feel, more than anything, an unspoken demand to adhere to societal expectations, a cultural demand to never deviate from the admittedly kind, friendly, and homogenous norms. At least it's autumn. I take comfort in knowing that nature will always have power over mankind. I enjoy exercising outdoors, and the air is invigorating. It feels hypocritical to ride a bike outside. It feels hypocritical to be wearing shoes, to be building houses, to be anything but naked and free among the shifting, mercurial whims of nature.

Key words: a breath of fresh air, bicycle, house