I had never given exploration a chance before my second year at Ferris. However, after a couple of weeks of riding around town on my bike and getting out of my dorm, I now feel I missed out on what I think should be a vital part of the college experience.
During my first year at Ferris, I had never considered bringing my bike as an inconvenience to maintain, especially during the winter months. Another reason was that I had not ridden a bike seriously for years and thought it would be tiring. I am not an athletic person, so owning a bike to travel around campus made it seem like baggage left without second guesses.
This changed after I started riding downtown to explore the area. Downtown Big Rapids is a 15 to 20-minute walk. If you don’t have good walking shoes on hot days, your feet can become sore and develop a blister or two. My mother offered to bring my bike to make getting around campus easier, and I took some investment in her offer as I wanted to try something new for my second academic year.
With stress about weekly deadlines that have me working late into the night, making me anxious that my goals are no longer worth it. I had the opportunity to bike around Big Rapids near the river, exploring what shops and exhibits are open allows for an escape that can take that stress away. I could chat with community members briefly, which reminded me that life is more than assignments and deadlines. It lets me know there are always places I can sit down for ice cream, such as at Kilwins, or sit by the riverside, watching the wave’s white crests make quiet progress against one another.
I appreciate these moments as I feel no longer bound to campus. I am not only a student at the university but a member of the city, and I always have somewhere to go to, either looking for fine scenery or local charm.
I do wish there were more bike racks around Big Rapids. With downtown comprising of busy intersections and afternoon traffic like coastal currents, I can see the doubt that comes with installing bike racks in places where it can be an inconvenience.
I think the college experience is learning to be free and how to avoid sitting in a room for hours on end. This involves connecting with your surroundings and leaving behind codes like being home before midnight. To find peace and greet others like a community, along with being active in walking, jogging or biking. This kind of activity is great for exercise, but if I never strived for that end goal, I would still go through with it, only to interact with the city I am paying to live in.
“Accumulating at least thirty minutes each day of moderate-intensity physical activity can contribute to a range of health benefits,” According to Jan Garrard, Chris Rissel and Adrian Bauman in “City Cycling.” They wrote that “health benefits include chronic disease prevention and favorable impacts on antecedent risk factors such as elevated blood pressure and obesity.”
This activity also brings me clarity, whether through a free period or a small time frame before continuing to assignments. My venture away in this town truly allows me to walk out, lock my door and see something normal but refreshing. Along with calm strolls, I also enjoy biking as it gives me the long overdue exercise that makes up for time spent in my dorm in a seated position.
Vigorous exercise “decreased stress levels and increased people’s feeling of being balanced more effectively than less strenuous exercise.”, according to researchers Isabelle D. Wolf and Teresa Wohlfart, in a study concerning different kinds of physical activity in parks.
If you ever feel anxious or stressed from classes, I recommend getting out and spending only an hour in downtown at Kilwins, Artworks or Belle’s Coffeehouse. One can also take a walk in Mitchell Creek Park, or by the River Walk that gives a good view of the Muskegon River.
On these walks, I remember that my life is not entirely made up of exams, papers, deadlines and presentations. Along with special breaks that are over before they even start. I also feel comfortable in how I return home without needing to have acquired something profound, such as a meaning to life, something I find entrapping. Finally to know that parts of my local world have not yet been cast in cement and highways.