If You Want to Get Better at Life, You Have to Deliver Food on a Bike
Helmets are overrated
‘Do you actually know how to ride?’
That’s what Sergei asked me while I struggled to get on his old mountain bike he was selling. After nearly wiping out on the test ride, I handed him $300 and went off to buy myself an insulated cooler bag.
Pretty much like any new experience, I was far from decent when I first started delivering food on a bike. I didn’t know what the best way was to change gears. I wasn’t familiar with all the bike-friendly streets. And with all the restaurants’ bathrooms going on strike, I had no idea where I was supposed to pee.
But after two months of dropping off takeout bags in front of people’s doors, I wasn’t only powering past other couriers on mopeds. I’d shifted my perspective on this thing called life.
With each delivery, I learned a bit more about changing gears in life. I explored carving out my own path instead of sticking to Google Maps. I realized I could relieve myself better by working up a sweat instead of pissing away my time.
Riding around town delivering food reminded me that there’s a lot you can learn about life from trying something new. Here’s what you can discover about life when you spontaneously sign up to be an UberEats bike courier.
Helmets are Overrated
This goes against all the biking advice you hear, but trust me. You don’t need a helmet to zip along on two wheels. They’re weighty and sooo not aerodynamic.
Okay, I’m not actually advocating that you don’t wear a helmet.
But the truth is the world is quite the dangerous place, and there’s only so much you can do to protect yourself from getting hurt.
Some drivers don’t signal when they’re turning. Many seem to think mirrors are shiny ornaments. And I’ll be honest — my disregard for traffic laws doesn’t make things any easier.
I don’t wear a helmet because a) I’m stupid, but also b) it makes life more exciting.
When you stop relying on a safety net to save you from death, you get to live life to the fullest. You still worry about whether or not you’ll get walloped by an open door. But you also get to feel the wind graze your shaved head as you weave through rush hour. You learn to take more risks — to literally run into danger. And squeezing between two cars without a helmet on makes your ability to dodge death and side-view mirrors all the more enjoyable.
You can throw on more padding than Kim Kardashian’s second boob job and light up your bike like a Christmas tree. But no matter how many lines of defense you put up, sooner or later, mayhem will find its way to you. So why not enjoy life in the meantime?
Lesson #1: Be safe, but don’t choke yourself doing it. Just a hint of death can spice up your life.
Some Traffic Laws are Really Suggestions
I routinely speed through red lights and stop signs. I often bike in the oncoming lane. On one-way streets, I go in the opposite direction.
I don’t break traffic laws for the thrill of getting hit by a car.
But sometimes, to get where you’re going, you gotta be willing to break a couple eggs, right? Or is it rules?
This is a habit I’ve had to develop over the years, and possibly a tendency I was born with. I don’t always see the rules that everyone else lives by. I just see something I want and things that are in my way.
Obviously, I look both ways before I cross a perpendicular street. There has to be some consideration for the people around you.
But beyond a healthy concern for the safety of yourself and others, it’s up to you to choose how much other people and their norms influence your decisions.
That’s why nothing’s ever a straight shot to where you want to go.
There’s always the path you can take that follows the flow of traffic and takes you where everyone else is going (yawn). And then there’s the path of no fucks given that might end with a detour to the hospital instead of reaching your destination. Somewhere in between, you’ll have to decide where you really want to go and how best to thread yourself in between cars and pedestrians.
Lesson #2: Don’t be afraid to break the rules if they’re in the way of what you want. Just don’t hurt anyone in the process.
It’s Okay to Boogie to Katy Perry at the Stoplight
Never give a sword (or a mountain bike) to a man who can’t dance.
— Confucius
Every now and then, when I actually do stop at a red light, I like to dismount my aluminum steed and shake my moneymaker to whatever song I’m blasting. On a really good day, I might even sing.
Admittedly, I’m not a great dancer. But when Katy Perry’s ‘Teenage Dream’ comes on, it’s hard not to shimmy at 117 beats per minute.
Do people laugh at the sight of a large Asian man with two neck tattoos dancing in the middle of the street? Probably. I couldn’t tell you though. I’m too busy singing about my skintight jeans.
Expressing yourself in public always comes with judgment. There will always be people who laugh at you for being true to yourself because it shines a black light on all your flaws.
The best way to get over your flaws is to embrace them. Your flaws and weaknesses are just as important as your strengths in making up the unique person you are.
Nobody’s perfect, so why worry if you aren’t either? When others realize you aren’t bothered by the things they’re laughing at you for, they’ll leave you alone. That’s usually when I put on Taylor Swift.
Lesson #3: The only way to master yourself is to recognize when you’ve been a fool. When people laugh at you, learn to laugh with them.
Strangers Will Help You When You Crash
To date, I’ve crashed about four or five times. Maybe seven.
I’ve front-flipped into a construction fence. I’ve misjudged a jump and tumbled into the middle of an intersection.
The thing that never ceases to amaze me whenever I find myself lying on my side is that people will stop and go out of their way to see if I’m alright.
It’s almost the complete opposite of how you’d expect onlookers to react when you pretend you’re competing in the X Games and fail spectacularly.
Sure, some people will probably laugh at you when they see you flop onto a patio table. But those closest to you will reach out to see if you need any help. The people around you will come lend you a hand and pick up your water bottle and delivery bag for you. Some might even pull up and give you a thumbs up, because, aside from your small accident, you looked great flying downhill like a madman.
Lesson #4: Not everyone makes fun of you when you shoot for the stars and miss by a long shot. Many will applaud you for trying, and some will even help you back up so you can give it another go.
It Pays to Apologize First
Okay, crashing is one thing. But crashing while you’re carrying someone’s food? That’s some next level pressure.
I once sent someone’s Hong Kong-style chow mein for a spin after getting stuck in the streetcar tracks and losing control. Another time, I took a spill in the rain and ended up flipping a customer’s sushi platter.
Both times, I preemptively explained what happened and apologized profusely. I figured it was best to give the customer a heads-up instead of saying sorry only after they’d found their food all hot and bothered. Maybe it’s just the Canadian in me.
What I didn’t figure was that being so honest and apologetic would earn me tips that were more than double the delivery fares (if the revenue agency asks, I definitely declared those tips).
The point isn’t so much that I got some extra cash just for saying sorry. It’s that when you make the first move and apologize before the other person realizes what’s wrong on their own, you prevent a lot of the grief that might otherwise erupt. If you’re honest and upfront about whatever mistake you’ve made, others will at least be understanding of the situation. They might even show some appreciation for your honesty.
That said, I’m not gonna paint myself as a saint. I’m all too familiar with how difficult it is to apologize for fear of finding out what the consequences might be. One time I’m pretty sure I scratched someone’s passenger door and sped off like a coward. If you are or know the owner of a black Range Rover with a thin white streak on the side, I know it’s too late, but I’m so indescribably sorry — please do contact me.
But that’s what makes apologizing first such a well appreciated gesture. When you genuinely sympathize with how unhappy someone is as a result of your fuck-up, you partly disarm their anger. They still might be angry that it happened, but at least they can find some solace in the fact that you truly understand.
Lesson #5: Find the courage to fess up the moment you done messed up. Not having to deal with pent-up repercussions down the line is a much bigger payout than any added tip.
The Dismount
Working as a bike courier has taught me more life lessons than I can fit in one article.
The key lessons I hope you find beneficial are that:
- While it’s better to be safe than sorry, it’s better to risk than to regret
- Some rules can use a little bending
- True mastery means being comfortable acting like a fool
- Strangers can be friendly
- Authentic apologies go a long way
Overall, delivering food has taught me that, when you try something different, you’re not just experiencing something new. New experiences mean you get to experience a different you. You discover things about yourself you never knew were there. You realize there’s more to you than you know.
Because life isn’t just about how experienced you are. It’s also about how experienced you can become.
