Friday, February 13, 2015

Biking with Frodo: Introducing The Fellowship with the Miles




“Let's tell the truth to people. When people ask, 'How are you?' have the nerve sometimes to answer truthfully. You must know, however, that people will start avoiding you because, they, too, have knees that pain them and heads that hurt and they don't want to know about yours. But think of it this way: If people avoid you, you will have more time to meditate and do fine research on a cure for whatever truly afflicts you.” ― Maya AngelouLetter to My Daughter




Today, the girl's school celebrated carnival.




I was excited even though my throat ache and chest cold is not completely gone yet; I knew I could take in the whole experience much better than in previous years in spite of these "Winter woes".

The quiet, slow(er) pace of village life coupled with active life outdoors has truly helped me in coping better with my bipolar disorder.

Looking back to all my blogs, I have a quiet satisfaction because I feel and see "evidence", that I am not only physically present but more and more there, in the now, with all my senses.



The girls started school in Holland in 2009 to learn to speak Dutch for a year; the school was in Hilversum, and the girls were brought there with the school bus.



In 2010, they started attending the school near our village; it was the year our daily bike rides commenced.



In Spring of 2011, I created this blog page  to document our biking beginnings, biking lifestyle and how each one of us (the girls and I) evolve through daily biking.

We had planned biking trips, and did do more than a couple but the grind of daily life got in the way of daily blogging over daily biking!




Frodo - my bike, which will celebrate it's 5th birthday in June, this year! - has mostly been in Wijdemeren, saved from one Summer in 2012 (another blog story for later!) when we toured around 's-Hertogenbosch better known as Den Bosch.



In all those years, I never managed to take time to document my bike mileage.

I don't want to sink my head now in shame but I have to say it how it is - between Spring 2011 until Winter of 2015, I managed to publish "only" 25 blogs.



Fastforward to February, 2015, I feel, I am truly Happy Feet in the Netherlands - I've run, pedaled, travelled with my pair of Happy Feet (my positive spirit!) as much of Holland, as I (and my family) can. :D

Happy Feet in the Netherlands


It is the blog, which acts as a "Preface" to Frodo Kilometers blog series.


Summer,  2013

Winter 2014

For two weeks now, I have been doing what I was unable to do in the last 4 years!  I have been documenting miles (specifically kilometers; I used miles because it rhymes better :D …), take daily pictures & share a selection from those daily pictures (on my @happyfeetnl Instagram channel, mostly).

I feel so much ease, and lightness with the whole process.  I look forward to the daily rides,  to biking along familiar places.  I look forward to sharing daily biking through different seasons with all of you out there.

Perhaps even to places I have been wanting to go to with my family but never took the time.

What I will keep in mind though each biking day, is I what I've already written @ My Daily Mooosings in the Netherlands, and what has boosted my energy since this year began: until I can do better, I'll do what I can.


Would you like to check out the Frodo Kilometers logs?

Check them out here:

Frodo Kilometers Week 1

Frodo Kilometers Week 2


Thursday, February 12, 2015

Frodo Kilometers: Week 2

Bikelog from the 9th until 13th of February

Monday, 9th February

20 kilometers




Tuesday, 10th of February

20 kilometers






Wednesday, 11th of February

10 kilometers






Thursday, 12th of February

20 kilometers

One Thursday morning in 2015


#ThrowbackThursday picture from 2009-2010 (?)

Friday, 13th of February

20 kilometers





Bikelog Week 2  (7th week in 2015)  :

90 kilometers

Frodo KM in February 2015:

170 km/

(5200 km - prognosis after a year Monday, 2nd February '15 - Tuesday, 2nd of February 2016)

If you like, you can check out the:

Bikelog of Week 1


Frodo Kilometers: Week 1

Bikelog from the 2nd  until the 6th of February

Monday, 2nd of February

20 kilometers





Tuesday, 3rd of February

20 kilometers - Once Upon a Sunny Morning in Ankeveen





Wednesday, 4th of February

20 kilometers






Thursday, 5th of February

0 kilometers - no bike kilometers!  I asked 2 lovely parents if the girls could carpool with them.

The day was documented @ My Daily Mooosings in the Netherlands blogpost:

A Walk in the Cul de Sac



Friday, 6th of February

20 kilometers






Bikelog Week 1 (6th week in 2015)  :

80 kilometers

Frodo KM in February 2015:

80 km/

(5200 km - prognosis after a year: Monday, 2nd February '15 - Tuesday, 2nd of February 2016)



Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Once Upon A Sunny Morning in Ankeveen



“Do one thing every day that scares you.” 




Hello, Sun! Hello, Beautiful People Out there! :)

I dropped off our youngest at school, and 5 minutes later, I was on the familiar biking route on the way home.

There are, as usual, A LOT of chores waiting for me.

More so today because I ran a long distance  (Happy Feet in the Netherlands is training again for a marathon - this time, Rotterdam marathon!)  last Sunday, and needed to rest Monday - I did only the basics I could (and need to do):
school run,
do the groceries,
home office work (emails, blogs, bills etc),
clear up,
pick the girls up at school,
gave girls high tea,
clear up,
cook dinner for the family,
write (administrative work etc),
Mijn Liefste P time,
and off to bed!

In other words, I was not able to do A LOT of other things (you could check that "list" out in a future blog @My Daily Mooosings in the Netherlands) to make sure our household will not be buried in chaos.

The beautiful weather, and my uplifted spirit made me stop midway though - on the road I used to fear.

It was the road, where I held fiercely onto the bike's handlebars for my dear life, every time we had to go through it.

It was in 2010 my morning, and everyday terror.


Yet, now 4 years later, the road I fear most, is the road that gives me  serenity before I face the daily chores,  that almost always threatens to dull my senses!







My shadow waves, "Hello!" 

I hope to follow this tree this year through out the four seasons





When I named this blog, "The Lightness of Being on the Bike" the inspiration for it came while I was riding the bike.  As I recognized what once hard for  me to do, was now so much lighter.   Conquering fears makes one truly feel lighter!

Even though I was scared of falling, or I was unsure if I can react fast enough to certain situations on the road, I did not give up, and kept on pedaling each and every day in our new home here in Holland for four  focus and determined years.

I conquered this road, and learned to love it, even if occasionally, when I have my depressive cycles, anxiety and panic attacks, my old fears still comes back haunting me.




Frodo (my bike) and I have changed through the seasons.  He is a bit weathered and I am now, a proud seasoned bike commuter. :)


Frodo February, 2015

Frodo,  2013

Have you read my last blogpost : "Frodo Turns 4 & Littlest On the Bike" ?