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How I learned to Ride a Bicycle

You can accomplish what you want; however, you may have to work for it.


It was 1951 in Rural Illinois. I was five years old. Yesterday, my father brought home a 24" bicycle for my older brother. I wanted to ride the bike. This was a clear goal. Still, I had no idea how to accomplish it. I was reasonably clever and knew I could not ride a 24" bicycle without help. I gathered my crew of kids from the neighborhood, all aged 4 or 5. We brainstormed the project and came up with a few options.


Fortunately, my older brother was spending the day with a cousin on the other side of town. I pulled and pushed the bike out of the garage and into the street. The street ended in a ‘T’ with another road. There was a deep ditch on the far side of the other road.

The gang tried to hold the bike up while I got on the seat. The bike and I were too heavy for the crew to hold up. We had an idea.

We pushed the bicycle down the middle of the street at a run. I jumped up onto the saddle when I thought it was fast enough. My feet could only touch the pedals as they were nearly at the top of the arc. I pushed the pedals down in turn. My speed increased.

A cloud of concern crossed my face. It was then that I realized three things in rapid succession.

I could not stop the bike.

I was coming to the end of the street.

I did not know how to turn and was going too fast to jump off.

We must always accept the consequences of our actions. I raced to the end of the street, and the bike went into the deep ditch. The bicycle stopped suddenly, and I flew into the field, landing on my back. There was blood.

The crew ran to my aid with screams and shouts. Together, they managed to get the bike back to the starting point in the middle of the street. They debated about the dangers. I thought I had the solution, pushed the bike, and jumped on again. Once again, I gained speed and began to turn. That went well for a bit, but I didn’t turn enough to make the corner. The gang raced to my battered form amidst more screams and shouts. There was a little more bloodshed.

My faith remained firm; the goal was in sight.

The third attempt went better than the first two because my crew and I attached blocks of wood to the pedals so I could use the coaster brake. Stopping was better than crashing but still traumatic. Stopping did involve jumping off the bike. I was five, and scraped knees were familiar enough.

We discussed the dismount. The best suggestion was to copy the cowboy’s dismount. There is a firm grasp on the handlebars and swing the right leg back and over to come down to the ground just behind the left foot, still on the pedal. I would dismount before a complete stop and take a few steps to stop completely.
So, now I knew how to accomplish my goal.
 
It took two tries to manage a smooth dismount. I swung my right leg with a bit too much gusto during the first attempt. I landed hard on my back, and the bike fell on my face. After a moment’s rest on the street where I fell, I was up and ready to try again. The second try was smooth like Roy Rogers. The crew cheered for the first time. There was no blood spilled this time.

After that, I managed to ride around the block. I made all the corners and managed to keep the bike on a straight path on the right side of the road. I tried to pass between two of the gang and only hit one. This time it was not my blood spilled. I apologized and rode around the block a few more times. Goal accomplished!

We removed the blocks from the pedals, and I pushed the bicycle into the garage and went to play with my crew. I have never mentioned the adventure to my brother or my father. I was aware that silence is sometimes necessary to preserve calm in the family.


This process is how I have handled my projects and desires over the years since then.

Know what you want to accomplish.

See a clear image of the completed project.

Hold that image in your mind consciously, knowing that what is needed will be provided if we don’t interfere.

And, most importantly, sincere gratitude for the finished goal.

The Universe, Holy Spirit, ECK, or however you perceive the higher power takes care of us if we get out of its way.

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