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Hi Reader,

Last week, I shared the story of my old bicycle and how a quick visit to the bike shop turned my sweaty 40-minute commute into a smooth 26-minute one.

But something else happened that I really didn't see coming.

Honestly, the reason I decided to cycle to the Chamber of Commerce wasn't profound. It was practical.

I knew that if I didn't build movement into my day, I simply… wouldn't.

(Anyone else? 😅)

So cycling became my one-hour daily guarantee.

But what surprised me…

The biggest gift of cycling wasn't the movement.

It was the transition time.

The 26 minutes between home and work, and back again, slowly became something else entirely.

A space.

A breath.

A small ritual.

In the morning, it's time to ease into the day. To notice what's around me. To arrive at the office, actually present.

In the evening, it's time to let the day go. To shift gears (sorry, I really can't help it 😉) from "work brain" to "home brain."

By the time I walk through the door, I'm already somewhere else.

I'm sure there's a scientific explanation. Movement, fresh air, the way our brains process rhythm and motion. Some study somewhere has probably crunched the numbers.

But all I know is, it works.

And here's how I know: I don't always cycle. Sometimes I have meetings outside the office, or something in my planner right after work, and the car wins.

But on those days?

I notice the difference.

There's no quiet decompression. No moment where the cogwheels click from one part of life to the next. I arrive home still half-stuck in the day.

(Although… maybe it's also just that cycling home is mostly downhill 😏 Hard to say.)

Either way…

It serves me well.

And it has me thinking about all the ways we move from one part of life to another, and whether we give those moments the space they deserve.

Chat next week,

Peggy 🌿

P.S. How do you transition from one part of your day to another? Or do you just… leap from one thing to the next?

Backyard Gossip | Stories about life, business & the spaces in between