We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature--trees, flowers, grass--grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence...We need silence to be able to touch souls. --Mother Teresa

Sunday, August 2, 2009

Riding My Bike

Can you remember your first bike? I can. Christmas 1972. I was 5. It was blue with a white banana seat. It was the most wonderful bike in the whole wide world.

Only I couldn't ride it. I just couldn't get it. I sucked.

My 3 year old brother learned to ride that bike before me. And when I say before me....I mean like the day after Christmas the little turd rolled that bigobike up to the porch so he could even get on it and HE RODE AWAY. And he never stopped. He didn't fall. He didn't crash. He just kept riding. My Christmas present. Turd butt.

Oh. I was one pissed off 5 year old.

And it took me awhile to master the biking skill. Much to my dismay. But my brother never fails to rub it in. 37 years later.

In my defense, I was a big girl. Not overweight. Just way too tall and way too uncoordinated. Emphasis on the uncoordinated. Still. Really. I was the tallest person in my grade until 4th grade when a boy caught and passed me. I was always the tallest girl in my grade.

I did finally learn and I loved riding my bike. Unless I crashed. Which I did. Often. I bear some scars from some accidents.

I still love riding bikes. 2 years ago I bought a bike at a garage sale for 10 bucks. It is an awesome bike. Purple with pink accents.

It was at this point I began riding my bike to run errands around town. I get lots of comments.


My husband has 2 requirements for my bike riding adventures.....one, I must wear a helmet.

I am not all that whippy at bike riding. He worries that I will crash and the police will call him to come and pick up the pieces.

I am very careful.

Really no wheelies.


His second requirement is that BOTH of my hands must remain on the handle bars AT ALL TIMES. I'm really not very steady. I have gotten better this summer, but I still must keep my hands on the bike at all times. So if you see me and I don't wave, I'm not ignoring you or trying to be rude, I'm simply following the rules. Miracles do happen.


School starts in 2 weeks. Oh my. Oh my. Oh my. Anyway, I am going to try riding my bike to school this year. I think I can do it. I have practiced and it takes me about 10 minutes to get to school. Piece of cake.

But I won't wave at you. Cause I am following the rules. Just sayin'.

3 comments:

The Rankins said...

Riding up that last little hill before the school would have me panting when I walked in everyday. But, it will be a nice breezy ride on the way home!

Mike Hays said...

I would much rather have her wear one of those inflatable sumo wrestling suits, but she has trouble reaching the pedals, so the helmet will have to suffice. I wonder if Lance Armstrong started like this...

Jolie said...

Last summer I borrowed Phil's ipod to ride my bike to the track to run. Instead...I got to the bottom of the hill, the ipod fell out of my pocket, the bike tire ran over it, I had to stop at the bottom of the hill to make sure it would come back on or I was in big trouble! Then I decided I was too dang tired to pedal up the hill to the track and run! So I turned around and went back home! Phil just heard that story a few weeks ago.


Your own soul is nourished when you are kind, but you destroy yourself when you are cruel. -Proverbs 11: 17