One of the great things about our new neighborhood is that you can walk everywhere–or ride bikes. Our kiddos love to ride bikes, but, even though I actually won a bike in a Mother’s Day contest at Sears (before I was a Mom!), I never rode it. In fact, I haven’t ridden since I was a kid, when Tim, Laura, and I used to take turns racing up and down the road on the one bike we all shared.
So, when our new neighbors proposed that we all take a bike ride down to the river–and generously loaned Ryan & I bikes to boot–we accepted, everyone in the family except me with excitement. Me? I was scared to death!
The bike I borrowed was an old men’s bike, modified to suit my neighbor, Holley. Unlike the kids’ bikes, my feet did not reach the ground when I sat on the seat, which freaked me out even more. It took me a few tries (and Ryan holding on to the bike for me!) just to get on and get going. Stopping was another dramatic event–one that usually ended with me jumping on one foot away from the bike to avoid a major crash.
Thankfully, we made it down to the river, where we found a nice shallowish place for the kids to play. The current was a little strong, so they couldn’t really experience the joys of the river–but the kids did have fun floating downstream to Ryan, where I pulled them on shore. 😉 And Ryan had fun with our neighbor, Landon, on the rope swing, although neither one of them was brave enough to do a back flip. I didn’t get very wet–I was positive that the sore bum I already had would be worse if I was also dealing with a wet suit!
At dusk, we set off back home. I was much more confident this time and even got off the bike (mine is the green one–Ryan is holding Megan’s bike in this pic, and the little ones–Luke, Jack, and Josyan rode on the Big Dummy with Landon) without falling down at the end of the ride. After 3+ miles round trip, I felt much more at ease on the bike, though today I am finding sitting down anywhere a tad difficult. I have some bruises that I hope will go away soon! 🙂
I am proud of myself, though, for getting back on a bike and taking a risk. It was worth it!