One Thing or Another: That Relaxed Fit Time of Life

By Mark McNease

It’s always One Thing or Another… a lighthearted look at aging, life, and the absurdities of it all.

At sixty-two, not having to hoist my leg over a bicycle bar is a relief. I’m not worried about body parts, just about getting my leg that high.

It hit me recently when I was out looking for a new bicycle. I told the young man working at the store that I was mostly concerned with comfort. I’m not trying out for the Tour de France, and I don’t imagine myself riding in that event, unlike many of the people I see zipping around the New Jersey countryside with brand names on their backs and Spandex hugging them more tightly than a human ought to be hugged. I’m just a guy who lives in the woods and wants to get my heart rate up a few times a week by circling the back roads of my rural community.

“Are you looking for a step-through model?” he asked. I wasn’t familiar with that term, and when he showed me one, I realized it’s what we used to call a girl’s bike when we were kids. I’m all for advancements in gender neutrality. I’m long past being concerned that some malicious twelve-year-old might point at me and say, “Why’s he riding a lady’s bike?” It never made sense to me to differentiate bicycles that way. The days of women riding side-saddle are as gone as hansom cabs and laundry beaten on rocks in the nearest stream. He called it a step-through, so a step-through it is.

At sixty-two, not having to hoist my leg over a bicycle bar is a relief. I’m not worried about body parts, just about getting my leg that high. What some people call downward dog, I call falling on your face. This bike allows me to sort of glide onto the seat, steady myself, fasten my helmet, and ride away, wobbles and all.

It gave me pause to think about this step-through, relaxed fit time of life I’m in. Comfort has become my highest priority when it comes to bicycles, shoes, and clothing. I prefer our new RAV4 because it fits me better than the Prius. My relaxed fit body settles into the seat more snugly. I sit just a little higher, and straighter. There will never be a gangster lean again, and that’s fine with me. At this point, excessive leaning just means I can’t sit upright, or I’m trying delicately to flatulate unnoticed. The truth isn’t pretty, but it will set you free.

Accepting step-throughs, and relaxed fits, and even a kindly hand up now and then, is all part of the journey we bipeds make from cradle to grave. We come into this world crawling, and as often as not, we leave it that way, too. It’s not good or bad, and the more relaxed I am about it, the more I can appreciate every step I’ve taken on the way.

Mark McNease is the author of ten novels, two short story collections and six produced plays. He was the co-creator of the Emmy and Telly winning children’s program Into the Outdoors. He currently lives in rural New Jersey with his husband and two cats. He can be found most days at MarkMcNease.com