Bike Bus

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Speaker 2 This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Fiscally responsible, financial geniuses, monetary magicians.

Speaker 2 These are things people say about drivers who switch their car insurance to Progressive and save hundreds. Visit progressive.com to see if you could save.

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Speaker 1 Something I have gotten so much better at in the last few years is taking care of my body, lovingly nourishing myself, getting all the sleep I need. I even floss now.

Speaker 1 And symbiotic products are a big part of this grown-up self-care.

Speaker 1 Whether you're trying to boost your energy and mood, improve digestion, or just function like a human, Symbiotica has something for you.

Speaker 1 I've been taking their vitamin C every day.

Speaker 1 In fact, my wife and I went on vacation and we packed their liquid travel-size packets in our carry-ons.

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No seed oils, preservatives, or artificial junk.

Speaker 1 Just high-quality, real ingredients that actually

Speaker 1 do something.

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Speaker 1 Go to symbiotica.com slash nothing much for 20% off plus free shipping. That's symbiotica.com slash nothing much for 20% off plus free shipping.

Speaker 1 Welcome to bedtime stories for everyone

Speaker 1 in which

Speaker 1 nothing much happens.

Speaker 1 You feel good,

Speaker 1 and then you fall asleep.

Speaker 1 I'm Catherine Nikolai.

Speaker 1 I write and read

Speaker 1 all the stories you hear on Nothing Much Happens.

Speaker 1 Audio Engineering is by Bob Wittersheim.

Speaker 1 We give to a different charity each week. And this week, we are giving to a group and movement that inspired tonight's story.
They are called Bike Bus World

Speaker 1 and they transform communities and our planet through the simple act of riding bikes to school together. You can learn more about them in our show notes.

Speaker 1 If you are looking for even more, nothing much,

Speaker 1 you can get our premium ad-free feed with dozens of bonus and extra long episodes for about a dime a day.

Speaker 1 And I think that's a steal.

Speaker 1 Our stories are brought to you through a lot of hard work. There's no AI on our team, just me writing all the time, Bob refining the audio, and others doing the behind-the-scenes work.

Speaker 1 So if you choose to subscribe, please know how grateful we are, how supported that makes us feel.

Speaker 1 You can subscribe through the link in our notes or go to nothingmuchhappens.com.

Speaker 1 Now,

Speaker 1 this technique works by engaging your brain just enough to keep it from wandering,

Speaker 1 but not so much that we keep it awake.

Speaker 1 The story becomes a sort of lullaby.

Speaker 1 So please just follow along. with the sound of my voice

Speaker 1 and the calm shape of our story.

Speaker 1 Before you know it,

Speaker 1 you'll be waking up tomorrow

Speaker 1 feeling replete and refreshed.

Speaker 1 I'll tell the story twice, and I'll go a little slower the second time through.

Speaker 1 If you wake later in the night,

Speaker 1 don't hesitate to turn a story back on.

Speaker 1 You'll drop right back off to sleep.

Speaker 1 Our story tonight

Speaker 1 is called Bike Bus.

Speaker 1 And it's a story about a joyful ride to school on a spring day.

Speaker 1 It's also about a dog enjoying a sunny patch on the lawn.

Speaker 1 Neighbors on porches. Music playing from a bike basket.
Paper sack lunches.

Speaker 1 And the joy of a trip taken together.

Speaker 1 In the village of nothing much, I'm sure they never have to worry about their tap water. Unfortunately, like all of you, I live in the real world, and I don't always trust what comes out of my tap.

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Today, my listeners receive 20% off any AquaTrue purifier. Just go to aquatrue.com.

Speaker 1 That's A-Q-U-A-T-R-U.com and enter code nothing much at checkout.

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When you go to aquatrue.com and use promo code N-O-T-H-I-N-G-M-U-C-H.

Speaker 1 Okay,

Speaker 1 it's time.

Speaker 1 Lights out.

Speaker 1 Devices down.

Speaker 1 Make getting incredibly comfortable your only priority.

Speaker 1 Feel the softness of the sheets.

Speaker 1 The heaviness of your limbs.

Speaker 1 How close you already are

Speaker 1 to deep, restful sleep.

Speaker 1 Your work is done for the day.

Speaker 1 Nothing is left

Speaker 1 but rest.

Speaker 1 Take a slow breath in through your nose

Speaker 1 and sigh it out

Speaker 1 once more, please. Breathe in

Speaker 1 and exhale.

Speaker 1 Good.

Speaker 1 Bike bus

Speaker 1 Stepping outside this morning,

Speaker 1 I felt spring all around me.

Speaker 1 The air was cool and clean smelling,

Speaker 1 like new grass and green leaves.

Speaker 1 I zipped my jacket up as I came down the front steps

Speaker 1 and smiled up at the colors in the sky.

Speaker 1 The tail end of sunrise was unfolding in pinks and oranges.

Speaker 1 The first flowers of the season were poking up through the soil in the beds around my house.

Speaker 1 And I guessed in a few days we'd see bluebells and anemones opening up.

Speaker 1 I'd planted some tulip bulbs last autumn and had crocuses that came back every year.

Speaker 1 But I'd also been cultivating some wildflowers in the backyard

Speaker 1 and was excited to see the trout lilies and the Dutchman's breeches

Speaker 1 that would bloom along the fence.

Speaker 1 I stopped at the garage,

Speaker 1 pushed my hip into the sticking side door, and nudged it open.

Speaker 1 From a hook on the wall, I took down my yellow vest and crossing guard stop sign.

Speaker 1 I'd been volunteering a couple days a week since the school year started in September.

Speaker 1 And I found I looked forward to these mornings and afternoons more than I'd expected.

Speaker 1 Back down the driveway and out onto the sidewalk,

Speaker 1 I slid the vest over my arms,

Speaker 1 passing the sign back and forth between my hands.

Speaker 1 The intersection I guarded was only two blocks away,

Speaker 1 and now that the winter weather had broken, I always walked.

Speaker 1 I could have managed it, even on the very cold days,

Speaker 1 but had found that it was better to keep my car near where the kids crossed in bitter weather.

Speaker 1 I had a collection of extra hats and gloves in my trunk for anyone who had forgotten theirs.

Speaker 1 Even a box of hand warmers that I passed out when it was really brutal.

Speaker 1 I'd played music from the car stereo on those days to dance to when my legs grew numb,

Speaker 1 to boost the young ones' spirits on their way to school.

Speaker 1 But now that the days were warming and sunnier,

Speaker 1 there were other ways to keep the kids moving and cheerful.

Speaker 1 One

Speaker 1 specific way that I loved to be a part of.

Speaker 1 They called it the bike bus

Speaker 1 and it consisted of a few teachers and parents leading a pack of kids all on bikes.

Speaker 1 to school in the morning and back home in the afternoon.

Speaker 1 Our PE teacher had started it a few years before

Speaker 1 after getting the idea from a colleague in another district

Speaker 1 and had come to school safety and crossing guards to make a plan.

Speaker 1 The owner of the bike shop downtown had stepped in to help as well.

Speaker 1 He'd even started a monthly bike maintenance and and repair clinic at the school,

Speaker 1 where our riders learned to patch a tire, to fix broken chains, and adjust their brakes.

Speaker 1 When it came to the actual ride each day,

Speaker 1 there were a few rules.

Speaker 1 Everyone had to wear a helmet.

Speaker 1 We tried to keep the ratio of grown-ups to kids at about one to four.

Speaker 1 Kids needed to stay behind the leader, and

Speaker 1 everyone kept to the planned route.

Speaker 1 After that, the goal was just to have fun outside together.

Speaker 1 And boy, did we have fun.

Speaker 1 The bus driver, the grown-up in front, carried a speaker in their basket

Speaker 1 and played happy upbeat music.

Speaker 1 And watching the kids sing along as they zoomed past

Speaker 1 made me smile

Speaker 1 so hard

Speaker 1 that tears sometimes came to my eyes.

Speaker 1 Often on days I wasn't stationed at my post,

Speaker 1 days I wasn't scheduled to volunteer at all,

Speaker 1 I found myself rolling down my driveway on my own bike

Speaker 1 and heading out to help ride along.

Speaker 1 I'd pick up the rear to watch for stragglers

Speaker 1 or weave into the middle of the pack to help the kids keep pace and pay attention.

Speaker 1 The bike bus was a source of pure joy for me, and I knew I wasn't the only one.

Speaker 1 Neighbors came out onto their porches with coffee cups to watch as it passed

Speaker 1 or to stand on the curb and cheer the kids on.

Speaker 1 Because of it,

Speaker 1 I knew more people on our street by name.

Speaker 1 It seemed like we all spent more time outdoors now.

Speaker 1 And And it even seemed to change the way cars drove on our street.

Speaker 1 More aware that folks were biking and walking.

Speaker 1 There was a noticeable effort to share the street.

Speaker 1 And that felt good.

Speaker 1 As I came up to my corner, I checked my watch.

Speaker 1 I'd be seeing the first walkers in the next few minutes.

Speaker 1 And there still were a few kids who just prefer to walk to the noisy, busy bus group.

Speaker 1 That was a nice thing about having these options.

Speaker 1 Some days you might want to ride with friends,

Speaker 1 chat, and sing together.

Speaker 1 And other days you might need some quiet time alone

Speaker 1 to take in the world

Speaker 1 in a slower way.

Speaker 1 And the kids could choose each day.

Speaker 1 I saw a girl walking toward me

Speaker 1 and put up my sign to guide her through the intersection.

Speaker 1 She had a large black case with her.

Speaker 1 A saxophone, I guessed, by the shape.

Speaker 1 And as we got to the curb, she nodded a thank you.

Speaker 1 I wondered if she was thinking through a piece of music,

Speaker 1 or vocabulary terms, or dates for a history quiz.

Speaker 1 Next came a group of siblings,

Speaker 1 three kids,

Speaker 1 two of which might have been twins.

Speaker 1 They each had a brown paper lunch sack clenched in one hand

Speaker 1 and a book bag slung over a shoulder

Speaker 1 and joked with each other as they crossed the street beside me.

Speaker 1 From down the street,

Speaker 1 the sound of music and bike bells came,

Speaker 1 and from the doggy door of the house on the corner, a spotted pooch shot out into the yard.

Speaker 1 She ran to the fence and sat down,

Speaker 1 her tail swishing back and forth behind her.

Speaker 1 We all liked watching the bike bus pass.

Speaker 1 I stepped into the intersection

Speaker 1 to block any cross traffic

Speaker 1 and waved to the bus driver

Speaker 1 to show all was clear

Speaker 1 there must have been 50 people in the bus this morning

Speaker 1 I recognized teachers and parents and lots of the kids

Speaker 1 Some of the adults had trailers on their bikes with toddlers strapped in

Speaker 1 and I noticed a few teenagers who I knew were guiding their little siblings to class

Speaker 1 before heading further on to the high school.

Speaker 1 We smiled at each other as they all flew by.

Speaker 1 The kids bopped to the music on their bike seats.

Speaker 1 And the adults, while keeping one eye on the side streets and cars and driveways, were singing along too.

Speaker 1 At the tail end of the bus were some of the slower riders,

Speaker 1 some whose legs were just a lot shorter and took more effort to keep up.

Speaker 1 And some who just weren't in any particular hurry to get to school today.

Speaker 1 Eventually, the last rider passed

Speaker 1 and the music began to fade into the distance.

Speaker 1 The dog at the fence,

Speaker 1 now finding a bright patch of sunlight, scratched at the grass a moment

Speaker 1 and then settled down onto her belly,

Speaker 1 crossing one paw over the other

Speaker 1 and resting her chin across them.

Speaker 1 I could see a few more walkers coming.

Speaker 1 There would be another ten minutes or so of stragglers,

Speaker 1 and then my morning work would be done.

Speaker 1 Starting my day this way

Speaker 1 with fresh air and joy,

Speaker 1 a bit of service, music, and others.

Speaker 1 I felt so glad for my life

Speaker 1 the way that it was.

Speaker 1 And

Speaker 1 I'd get to do it all again

Speaker 1 this afternoon.

Speaker 1 Bike bus

Speaker 1 Stepping outside this morning,

Speaker 1 I felt spring all around me.

Speaker 1 The air was cool and clean-smelling,

Speaker 1 like new grass

Speaker 1 and green leaves.

Speaker 1 I zipped my jacket up

Speaker 1 as I came down the front steps

Speaker 1 and smiled up at the colors in the sky.

Speaker 1 The tail end of sunrise

Speaker 1 was unfolding in pinks and oranges.

Speaker 1 The first flowers of the season

Speaker 1 were poking up through the soil

Speaker 1 in the beds around my house.

Speaker 1 And I guessed in a few days

Speaker 1 we'd see bluebells

Speaker 1 and anemones opening up.

Speaker 1 I'd planted some tulip bulbs last autumn

Speaker 1 and had crocuses that came back every year.

Speaker 1 But I'd also been cultivating some wildflowers in the backyard

Speaker 1 and was excited to see the trout lilies

Speaker 1 on the Dutchman's breeches

Speaker 1 that would bloom along the fence.

Speaker 1 I stopped at the garage,

Speaker 1 pushing my hip

Speaker 1 into the sticking side door

Speaker 1 and nudged it open.

Speaker 1 From a hook on the wall,

Speaker 1 I took down my yellow vest and crossing guard stop sign.

Speaker 1 I'd been volunteering a couple days a week since the school year started in September.

Speaker 1 And I found

Speaker 1 I looked forward to these mornings and afternoons

Speaker 1 more than I'd expected.

Speaker 1 Back down the driveway

Speaker 1 and out

Speaker 1 onto the sidewalk.

Speaker 1 I slid the vest over my arms,

Speaker 1 passing the sign back and forth

Speaker 1 between my hands.

Speaker 1 The intersection I guarded

Speaker 1 was only two blocks away

Speaker 1 and now

Speaker 1 that the winter weather had broken

Speaker 1 I always walked.

Speaker 1 I could have managed it

Speaker 1 on the very cold days

Speaker 1 but had found that it was better to keep my car

Speaker 1 near where the kids crossed

Speaker 1 in bitter weather.

Speaker 1 I had a collection of extra hats and gloves in my trunk.

Speaker 1 For anyone who had forgotten theirs.

Speaker 1 Even a box of hand warmers that I passed out when

Speaker 1 it was really brutal

Speaker 1 I'd played music

Speaker 1 from the car stereo on those days

Speaker 1 to dance to

Speaker 1 when my legs grew numb

Speaker 1 to boost the young ones spirits on their way to school

Speaker 1 But now that the days were warming and sunnier,

Speaker 1 there were other ways

Speaker 1 to keep the kids moving and cheerful.

Speaker 1 One

Speaker 1 specific way

Speaker 1 that I loved to be a part of.

Speaker 1 They called it the bike bus

Speaker 1 and it consisted of a few teachers and parents leading a pack of kids

Speaker 1 all on bikes to school in the morning

Speaker 1 and back home in the afternoon

Speaker 1 our PE teacher had started it a few years before

Speaker 1 after getting the idea from a colleague in another district

Speaker 1 and had come to school safety and the crossing guards to make a plan.

Speaker 1 The owner of the bike shop downtown

Speaker 1 had stepped in to help as well.

Speaker 1 He'd even started a monthly bike maintenance and repair clinic at the school

Speaker 1 where the riders learned to patch a tire,

Speaker 1 to fix broken chains,

Speaker 1 and adjust their brakes.

Speaker 1 When it came to the actual ride each day,

Speaker 1 there were a few rules.

Speaker 1 Everyone had to wear a helmet.

Speaker 1 We tried to keep the ratio of grown-ups to kids

Speaker 1 at about one to four.

Speaker 1 Kids needed to stay behind the leader,

Speaker 1 and everyone kept to the planned route.

Speaker 1 After that,

Speaker 1 the goal was just to have fun outside together.

Speaker 1 And boy, did we have fun

Speaker 1 the bus driver

Speaker 1 the grown-up in front

Speaker 1 carried a speaker in their basket

Speaker 1 and played happy upbeat music

Speaker 1 watching the kids sing along as they zoomed past

Speaker 1 made me smile so hard

Speaker 1 that tears

Speaker 1 sometimes came to my eyes.

Speaker 1 Often on days I wasn't stationed at my post,

Speaker 1 days I wasn't scheduled to volunteer at all,

Speaker 1 I'd found myself

Speaker 1 rolling down my driveway

Speaker 1 on my own bike

Speaker 1 and heading out to help ride along.

Speaker 1 I'd pick up the rear

Speaker 1 to watch for stragglers

Speaker 1 or weave into the middle of the pack

Speaker 1 to help the kids keep pace

Speaker 1 and pay attention.

Speaker 1 The bike bus was a source of pure joy for me

Speaker 1 and I knew I wasn't the only one.

Speaker 1 Neighbors came out onto their porches with coffee cups to watch as it passed

Speaker 1 or to stand on the curb

Speaker 1 and cheer the kids on.

Speaker 1 Because of it,

Speaker 1 I knew more people

Speaker 1 on our street by name.

Speaker 1 It seemed like we all spent more time outdoors now

Speaker 1 And it even seemed to change the way cars drove on our street

Speaker 1 More aware that folks were biking and walking.

Speaker 1 There was a noticeable effort

Speaker 1 to share the street.

Speaker 1 And that felt good.

Speaker 1 As I came up to my corner,

Speaker 1 I checked my watch.

Speaker 1 I'd be seeing the first walkers in the next few minutes.

Speaker 1 And there were still a few

Speaker 1 kids who preferred a walk to the noisy, busy bus group.

Speaker 1 That was the nice thing

Speaker 1 about having these options.

Speaker 1 Some days you might want to ride with friends, chat and sing together.

Speaker 1 On other days,

Speaker 1 you might need some quiet alone time

Speaker 1 to take in the world in a slower way.

Speaker 1 And the kids could choose each day.

Speaker 1 I saw a girl walking toward me.

Speaker 1 and put up my sign

Speaker 1 to guide her through the intersection.

Speaker 1 She had a large black case with her.

Speaker 1 A saxophone, I guessed, by the shape.

Speaker 1 And as we got to the curb,

Speaker 1 she nodded a thank you.

Speaker 1 I wondered if she was thinking through a piece of music,

Speaker 1 or vocabulary terms

Speaker 1 or dates for a history quiz

Speaker 1 next came a group of siblings

Speaker 1 three kids

Speaker 1 two of which might have been twins

Speaker 1 they each had a brown paper lunch sack

Speaker 1 clutched in one hand

Speaker 1 and a book bag slung over a shoulder

Speaker 1 and joked with each other as they crossed the street beside me

Speaker 1 from down the street

Speaker 1 the sound of music and bike bells came

Speaker 1 and from the doggy door of the house on the corner

Speaker 1 a spotted pooch shot out into the yard.

Speaker 1 She ran to the fence

Speaker 1 and sat down,

Speaker 1 her tail swishing back and forth behind her.

Speaker 1 We all liked watching the bike bus pass.

Speaker 1 I stepped into the intersection

Speaker 1 to block any cross traffic

Speaker 1 and waved to the bus driver

Speaker 1 to show that all was clear.

Speaker 1 There must have been fifty people in the bus this morning.

Speaker 1 I recognize teachers

Speaker 1 and parents,

Speaker 1 lots of the kids.

Speaker 1 Some of the adults had trailers on their bikes with toddlers strapped in.

Speaker 1 And I noticed a few teenagers

Speaker 1 who I knew were guiding their little siblings to class

Speaker 1 before heading further onto the high school.

Speaker 1 We smiled at each other

Speaker 1 as they all flew by.

Speaker 1 the kids bopped to the music on their bike seats

Speaker 1 and the adults while keeping one eye on the side streets

Speaker 1 and cars and driveways

Speaker 1 were singing along too

Speaker 1 At the tail end of the bus

Speaker 1 were some of the slower riders,

Speaker 1 some whose legs were just a lot shorter

Speaker 1 and took more effort to keep up,

Speaker 1 and some who weren't in any particular hurry to get to school today.

Speaker 1 Eventually the last rider passed

Speaker 1 and the music began to fade

Speaker 1 into the distance.

Speaker 1 The dog at the fence,

Speaker 1 now finding a bright patch of sunlight,

Speaker 1 scratched at the grass a moment,

Speaker 1 and then settled down onto her belly,

Speaker 1 crossing one paw over the other,

Speaker 1 and resting her chin across them,

Speaker 1 I could see a few more walkers coming.

Speaker 1 There would be another ten minutes or so of stragglers,

Speaker 1 and then my morning work would be done,

Speaker 1 starting my day this way

Speaker 1 with fresh air and joy,

Speaker 1 a bit of service

Speaker 1 and music and others.

Speaker 1 I felt so glad for my life

Speaker 1 the way that it was.

Speaker 1 And I'd get to do it all again

Speaker 1 this afternoon.

Speaker 1 sweet dreams.