Three days ago, the first day of the new year, I went cycling with my family.
For the record, I don’t like cycling. But given that our teenage sons will deign to do only this outdoor activity together with my wife and I, we really don’t have many options. My wife and my eldest are the better cyclers, while my youngest (though he whines each time we get him out of the house and away from his Legos and computer games) has been finding his cycling feet more in recent excursions.
And then there’s me. And my disdain for machinery. Not to mention my flat posterior! Clearly designed for anything BUTT, oops I mean BUT, the bike.
Having said that, the outing that day, which my wife initiated to commemorate the start of this brand new year, served as an important reminder for me of three fundamental truths to carry into 2025.
Truth #1 – Getting outdoors is critical
In this day and age when many youngsters have a daily phone rather than play-based routine, the need to get outdoors without devices has never been more critical.
As Professor Jonathan Haidt’s seminal book The Anxious Generation makes clear, failure to heed the warning signs of a more inward lifestyle fueled by phone apps and social media, can only lead to multiple issues such as attention and sleep deprivation, poorer physical and mental health, as well as a vacuum in socialisation skills.
And this isn’t just for those deemed the millenial generation or their younger siblings (the so-called Gen Z’s and Gen Alpha’s).
Adults are just as guilty of doomscrolling screens (me as a case in point!), and setting bad examples for their kids.
I’ve found that, unless I’m out and about, the temptation to reach for my devices is near impossible to resist. And I’m definitely not alone in this.
How much more so for the digital generation we’re raising!
So yeah, I’m more determined than ever to get our family outdoors more often this new year.
Truth #2 – It’s more fun with family
Here’s another universal truth: Practically everything in life is more fun when you’re with family.
Even cycling!
Solo road warriors may barrel down on me for saying this, but no matter. I stand by this statement. And going by the teams of weekend cyclists I often see when I’m out and about, I’m quite sure my assertion is more than well-founded and corroborated.
So even though I don’t relish getting on the uncomfortable hard seat of my eldest’s old bike (no surprise I haven’t got my own), while he rides his new road bike, I would go along for the trip because I don’t want to be left out.
Besides, once we embark on the journey, I’m immediately reminded why cycling can be fun. And more so with family.
Getting to see the changing landscapes. Feeling the wind rushing through my hair. Watching my children cycle confidently ahead of their slowpoke dad (whilst remembering those childhood moments when they struggled to master the skill and catch up with me). Moments like those we had three days ago felt so much more than just another day out and about.
It’s fun when we have one another, and it’s also a reminder I’ve been privileged to see my kids grow to become the young men now cycling before me. The way being out in the open lifts spirits and lightens the mood all around is also an added bonus.
So yah, it’s way more fun to cycle with family.
Which brings me to the third and final truth for me this new year.
Truth #3 – Doing things together is everything
Doing things together is critical for my family to stay connected to one another.
It’s also critical for me.
Being a loner for most of my life, getting married when I was 30, and becoming a parent when I turned 39, have swung my world around and jolted me out of my introvert self.
Now as I look ahead to my 55th birthday in July, I can safely say that on most days, I feel out of place when my family’s not with me.
It’s not that my inner introvert doesn’t need the moments of solitude and silence. I still crave and seek those moments out actively. However, I also recognise that my wife and children have given me greater meaning for my life than if I had stayed single. They also afford me a comforting sense that I need never be lonely again. Like I had been for many years growing up with an estranged family.
To be able to do things together, even cycling, allows me to shore up a databank of memories (thanks to front-facing camera phones — one of the few benefits of modern technology) that I can cherish forever. Memories that can serve as pillars of strength during life’s toughest trials.
Who doesn’t need those pillars, right?
So as we head into this brand new year, I hope these three truths will anchor every decision and plan we make as a family.
What about you? What are your three truths as you enter 2025?
