 |
| [image credit] |
I don’t know how to ride a bicycle. And I am 25. I’m not embarrassed about this situation. I never had a bicycle growing up, and though my brothers learned some how, I never got back on when I tried, and fell at the age of 7. I just forgot about the whole thing. It was only a few years ago that I actually started nourishing the idea to learn how to ride; thinking it would be such a cool way to travel and exercise.
A really nice sorority sister of mine tried to teach me about two summers ago, she even gave me her old bike to practice, yet, I never made it. Another friend of mine who was in my club of not knowing how to ride, just exited the club. And now, so has India. We were supposed to do it together, but it matters not. It is so beautiful when someone masters something that seem so trivial to most, and at an age when most would have been too proud or embarrassed to bother.
I talked about it a lot at work and my listeners had stories about friends who just recently learned how to ride, and about their own experiences when they first learned. We all agreed that it must be very interesting and a tad bit difficult to learn to ride as an adult. Everyone was excited for India and encouraging that I should learn soon. It’s a life changing experience they claimed. Definitely a new way to see things, they promised.
India’s daring made everything seem just so possible all at once. It made me feel that if I tried harder enough I could fly. I walked home in the rain and I was still riding elephants in mid air. I keep thinking, India learned how to ride a bicycle!! That is magical.
Click here and here to be directed to an organizations in NYC which teaches adults how to ride. And click here to read a wonderfully inspiring article from the NY Times about a 49 year old man’s need to learn to ride a bicycle before he turn 50; a very beautiful story.
