A few weeks ago I went for an early morning bike ride along the seawall. As per my usual I stopped at Third Beach to recoup and take a moment to marvel at this beautiful place I get to call home. The beach was basically empty and essentially mine. I unpacked my basket - just the essentials: sarong, journal, water bottle - and went for a walk from one end of the beach to the other. Upon returning a gentleman was standing by my spot and we started a chat.
"Is this yours? I saw the stuff but didn't see anyone in the water," he said.
"Oh, thanks. But I hate cold water anyway."
A spontaneous chance exchange with another Vancouverite? Conversation with a stranger on the beach? Yes - it does happen.
With that, Brock Tully and I had a very pleasant conversation about the powers of storytelling and random acts of kindness... in addition to our shared grievances regarding cigarette butts on the beach and people who can't follow seawall direction. (For the record, Brock did approve of my desire to patent a bike-mounted cattle prod device to deal with rulebreakers on the seawall.) Tully is an author, speaker, and cyclist who has biked across North America numerous times - first in 1970! He is also the organizer of the weekly storytelling series One of a Kind Stories which takes place every Monday at Organic Lives (1829 Quebec St. @ 2nd) at 7:00 pm.
"Brock, are you ... a hippie?" I asked.
He high-fived me. "Well, I'm a jock, too. I took physical education at UBC. So somewhere between the two, whatever that is."
This bike has more miles on it than yours.
