Riding Bikes!

Do you remember the exhilaration you felt when you finally learned to ride a bicycle all by yourself?

Think back to that moment…

You are riding along with mom running behind you, holding onto the back of the seat like she’s done so many times before.

“Pedal faster!” mom urges.

“Don’t let me go!” you shout.

“I won’t,” she lies.

You tighten your grip on the handlebars, lean forward and pump your legs as fast as you can as you sail down the sidewalk. But, wait! Something’s wrong.

Wobble.

Wobble, wobble.

Wobble.

You look back, but mom is no longer behind you.

Where did she go!?!?

Oh, no!

Mom!

After a few terrifying moments, you realize that you’re still upright. Shaky and unsteady, but you’re doing it. You’re riding a bike!

I think much of life is like this. We start out with guidance and support from someone we trust. As we start to grasp the concept of what we’re doing, our teacher steps back. We falter and doubt our ability to go it alone. There’s only time for a quick glance back for reassurance, because we’re moving forward. There’s no turning back now.

We fix our eyes on what’s ahead of us, lean into the challenge and focus our efforts.

There’s nowhere to go but forward or down at this point.

And down is not an option.