Fall is here, and today the sky is so achingly blue that all I want to do is sit on my patio and stare upwards. Naturally, busy homemaker and writer that I am, I have far too many chores to sit on the patio for very long. But what beauty! To add to this, the leaves are just beginning to change, and the trees, tinged with orange and red, are coming into their glory. The apples, squash, and pumpkins are ready to be harvested and made into crisps and pies and soup. Then there is the blaze of fall flowers—the mums—that mimic the leaves. Let’s just say that September is one fine month in Maine.

Yet September also has a bittersweet quality. The hummingbirds have left on their long migration, and although we can still hear loons calling, especially at night as we sit around the fire, soon the loons will be gone, too. My husband, Clif, and I like to ride our bikes every night—weather permitting—and this will also be becoming to an end as the weather gets chillier and night comes earlier. But for the short term, we both bundle up and go out as soon as he gets home from work. We have lights on our bikes, both front and back, and now we must use them for the last bit of our bike ride down the dark Narrows Pond Road to our home.

We live in a small town, and although we are not the only bikers—and definitely not the fastest—we are certainly dedicated, using our bikes for transportation as well as for pleasure and exercise. Even when I have use of the car, I often bike to meetings and events in town, which is only a mile away. Good for the environment, good for the body, and also, I like to believe, a good example. I want people to see me on my bike, going to the library, to the Flaky Tart, to Becky’s Second Time Around. I want them to think, “Wow, look at that one. She’s no spring chicken, but she sure can bike.” Our town is small enough so that people know me and notice me, and I hope eventually some of them might even say, “If she can do it, then so can I.”

On a personal level, biking is so good for a person that it really is a shame we are not more of a biking country. We are way behind northern Europe when it comes to bike lanes, bike racks, and other bike-friendly infrastructure that really makes a difference. Cars are our primary mode of transportation, and, as an incredibly obese nation, it shows. We drive, drive, drive everywhere, collectively putting on more weight with each passing year. And it’s not bad enough that adults are more obese than ever—our children are also more obese than they ever have been. After all, why not? Children emulate adults, and what do many adults do? Drive everywhere and sit on their backsides during their free time.

Now, exercise is not a panacea. People who are fit can still get sick, but the quality of life is striking when you compare those who are in shape with those who are not. I see it in my own husband, who will soon be 61 and can bike 30 miles without feeling as though he is going to drop the next day. On a recent check-up, Clif’s found out that he had lost seven pounds, his blood sugar had dropped, and so had his cholesterol.

“Exercise and diet really matter,” his doctor said.

Yes, they do, and to go along with the exercise, my husband and I eat really well, too. We have treats, but we have them in moderation, and much of our diet is organic and plant-based. Again, no panacea, but certainly a great help.

As my friend Kate has put it, “We must do what we can.”

I couldn’t agree more.