The Courage to Grow Up

     Autumn, even in my childhood, has always been my favorite season. No doubt the colors of the foliage on the trees, plus the remembrance of apple cider and doughnuts eaten after bike trips to VanRiper's and Tice farms in Woodcliff Lake. It's been over twenty years since I've tasted those autumn delights, and I drove my old Ford F-150 pickup instead of the ten-speed bike I once traveled by.

     "Van Riper’s was sold in 1994 to a supermarket developer. Three years later, Tice Farms also called it a day, making way for the upscale Tice’s Corner Marketplace, home to more than 20 stores including a William Sonoma, J. Crew, Victoria’s Secret, and Apple."

     Reminds me of what e.e. cummings once wrote:

     “It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.”

     I wouldn't be the person I am today without those carefree bike rides on roads less frequented than they are today. I couldn't imagine getting on a bicycle and pedaling around Bergen County today. The roads were narrow when I was young and no acts of civic inspiration have widened them. In fact, they are more dangerous than ever, but what did we know of danger as kids? Does anybody in their early teens give much consideration to mortality, probably not.