Aren’t You Embarrassed?
We were on a family bike ride. Robert was riding with Emmett, while Orli stayed behind to keep me company. As a faster and more fit cyclist approached, I lost my focus and just about crashed into the side of a bridge along the greenway.
“You ok?” The cyclist stopped to check on me.
“Yeah, just learning how to ride this thing. No worries!” The cyclist paused with a curious look on his face, then nodded and continued his ride.
“Mom, aren’t you embarrassed that you don’t know how to ride a bike very well and you’re so old?” Ahh... the refreshing honesty of a 7 year old. 😂
“Nah, if anything I’m proud. I’m out here trying to learn aren’t I? I’d be more embarrassed if I wasn’t even trying. But look! I’ve spent all summer getting the hang of it and now I can almost keep up with you! I feel like that’s something I should be proud of, right?”
“Yeah, that makes sense.” She smiled and we went on our way, singing Country Roads out loud as one does on a mom-daughter bike ride.
I don’t know if it’s getting older or if it’s the breast cancer thing or something else, but something is driving me to live just a bit harder these days. Like REALLY LIVE, you know? Finally learning to ride a bike at 46, taking up ballet lessons again 30 years after quitting, and rock climbing dates with my husband. Suddenly I want to try new things, revisit the old, or take on challenges that I never thought I’d be good at. And it feels so good to try and work at it, even when I crash and burn.
What’s something you wish you could learn to do? Something you’ve always been nervous to try or that you don’t think you’d be good at? What’s stopping you from taking the challenge?
“Mom, thanks for learning how to ride a bike so we could spend more time together”.