camaraderie

I have a friend named Dylan (you may know him as internet sensation and A-list gay, Noodles and Beef. Yes, I know Noodles and Beef! Yes, I can get you on a date with him!) who drives a mini-cooper named Magnus. Magnus is pretty chill; he listens when you talk to him and practically drives himself. When Dylan & Magnus pass by other people driving mini-coopers, Dylan waves excitedly and is usually met with a happy wave back, like "Hey! I love my mini-cooper, too!"

The best is when Dylan waves to mini-cooper drivers when we aren't even in Magnus. We can be cruising in my Honda and then he just gets bewildered stares like, "Do I know this crazy person? Why is he flagging me down?" Their confused faces are pretty funny.

But my point is that there is a sense of camaraderie between Dylan and his fellow cooper-drivers. It's like finding out that someone went to the same college as you, or that they too enjoy... golfing... or something.

The camaraderie flows freely in bike commuting. When you're biking and another bicyclist passes by, there's about a 90% chance that they will positively acknowledge your similarities (aka smile at you). I love this! I haven't stopped to actually meet any of these people, but they all seem friendly enough for that fleeting second. And once you establish a routine, you'll notice the same riders day-in and day-out. You may never know their names, but it's good to know there are kindred spirits out there.

On that note, a very silly and easy game. No one will keep score but you. The goal is to be the first to smile when you pass a fellow cyclist. Scoff if you like, but I happen to know that smiling is very good for your health, so even if you lose a round, you still win in the long run...