Peace

Always grateful, and a little surprised, by unexpected moments of calm in the midst of urban pandemonium.

Urban biking pushes adrenaline into my system, and raises my situational awareness noticeably. I enjoy the rush, but I am feeding off of the city energy that pulses in all directions. I have little recognition of the “natural” environment while I am riding to survive.

So beauty hits hard when it is not expected.

I found this oasis in the middle of a bike ride from Tempe to Mesa AZ, dodging rush hour traffic , electric scooters, noise, exhaust…sensory stimulation overdrive.

I was brought back to reality, and reminded of my environment while standing next to my bike playing with camera settings. A man on the opposite side of the canal stood looking at me for a minute, unnoticed, until he called across, clearly annoyed.

“Take your damn picture already so I can walk through here!”

I considered the prospect of a reluctant model in my sunset portraits, but decided a few laughs was not worth the drama of the shot.
I told him I would not take any pictures while he was walking. I averted his gaze as he walked the trail confidently, unencumbered by my amateur photographic ambitions to capture a fleeting moment of urban tranquility.

After I pretended to play with the phone for second, I put it away, jumped on the bike, kept my head down, and pedaled south to dodge more obstacles in the concrete jungle on my way home.