Riding a Bike
I snapped the helmet on my head and gripped tightly on the handlebars. I looked out at the open street in front of me, refusing to put my feet onto the pedals. I could still feel the sting on my arms and legs from when I hit the pavement in an earlier fall. Taking a deep breath, I tried again. I pedaled, slowly at first, but then I noticed that when I slowed down, the bike became unsteady. I pushed myself forward, pedaling faster, the pavement rolling smoothly beneath my tires in balance.
My dad cheered behind me and then shouted that I needed to turn around. That was new. Turning? I turned the handlebars, but turned too hard and fell sideways. At least I made it down the street.
Fast forward to today and I’m pedaling hard up a hill, trying to catch my breath. My parents and I are in the final stretch of what will be a 15-mile ride. I’m exhausted as I push myself forward, trying to keep up the momentum. I shift my bike’s gears on the handlebars and the chains groan loudly under the strain. I make a note to be more careful about that next time I try this hill.
We reach the top of the hill together and ride smoothly through the winding hill down to our home, where it feels effortless. Gravity pulls us forward and with the wind behind us, it feels like we’re flying.
It’s amazing how effortless riding a bike feels now. There’s even the phrase “it’s just like riding a bike” that refers to once something is learned, we never forget it. Sometimes though, that initial learning is so difficult! I was terrified when I first learned how to ride a bike. On a broader note, it can be terrifying to enter into something new, be it a new job, a new relationship, a new challenge or diagnosis. Those challenging and demanding moments in life and learning to ride a bike for the first time set benchmarks for us.
I’ve found that those moments show us when we have to face our fears head-on. Sometimes, we have to keep pushing and learning so we can progress. I first had to learn how to balance on a bike before learning how to turn. Now I’m improving athleticism and other aspects of the sport. Still, it is not lost on me how far I’ve come in riding a bike. I couldn’t balance on a bike before, and now I can go so much farther!
I believe that as much as we should look to the future to see how we want to improve, we should take the time to reflect back on how far we’ve come. I can physically see my skills improve on a bike and I can track the distance I’ve traveled around my neighborhood. We can think the same way about those other areas of our lives, too.
Maybe you’ll find that you too have come a long way. I’m cheering for you and your journey here and your journey forward!
