Be Ten Again

GOAL:

Teach my boss how to ride a bike.

SUPPLEMENTAL GOAL:

Do not let her break any bones.

SUPPLEMENTAL GOAL:

Do not lose my patience (or my job).

I was sitting on my porch a week or so ago watching runners and bikers pass by on the bike trail right in front of my house.  One of the best sights of the day was a woman, probably in her forties, riding a normal looking bike, with training wheels.

It put total joy in my heart.

I assumed she was just learning.  Or, maybe she has  a medical reason causing balance issues.  It didn’t matter.  She was out there with a group of friends riding a bike.   And we all know what riding a bike does for you.  If you don’t know, then ask someone to teach you how to ride a bike.

To quote one Frances E. Willard:   “…. it is the vehicle of so much harmless pleasure…”.

It is a vehicle of pleasure.

I will take great pleasure in teaching her how to ride.  And she will take great pleasure in the freedom a bicycle gives you.  Even today I believe, as Ms. Willard did, that the bicycle is a liberating and freeing thing.  A vehicle, again if you will, to personal freedom.  Ms. Willard also said “She who succeeds in gaining the mastery of the bicycle will gain the mastery of life.”

When I saw that woman with the training wheels on her bike it reminded me of the most simple reasons to ride a bike.  Because it feels good.  And no matter your age when you are riding, when you are riding you are young.

My boss is not the only adult I know who can not ride a bike.  For those of us who remember mastering this skill early…. I feel like she has missed out on the exhilaration of that moment.  That moment when you are pedaling, free of training wheels, free of your parents hand holding the bike up, and you are quite literally propelling yourself forward and independently.

I don’t care what your age.  You can still experience that feeling of propelling yourself forward and realizing oh my God I can do anything!

With the wind in your face, your face smiling despite it’s trepidation.  Your heart beating a little faster because you pedal, and you know you can now do this.  Your heart beating a lot faster because you are doing this.  As a child learning you feel a little bit taller, a little bit freer.   As an adult learning you feel a little bit younger, a little bit freer.

GOAL:   Teach the ride.  Share the ride.  Be ten again.  Enjoy the ride.