Jason and I have started riding bikes together. I’ve always loved riding bikes, but I’ve only ever ridden on pavement really, and it’s been at least 11 or 12 years since I’ve been on a bike. It was interesting getting back onto one, a much larger bike than I had ever ridden too, and capable of going on rough ground…. it’s a mountain bike.
I don’t know what I had in my head when I first thought of riding bikes on trails, but Jason said that I had in my head that we would be “riding through the meadow on a nice little relaxing trail” I guess maybe he was right because when I went on my first wooded trail with him, I was a little surprised. I think I did have something different in my head. Even though technically it was a “beginner trail” it was still a challenge for me because at the start of it I could barely keep my bike steady, was still trying to figure out how to turn the thing without wobbling over (balance has always been a challenging thing for me haha) and so let’s just say I jumped right into the “world of mountain biking” when I went on that first trail.
Thankfully I didn’t slam into any trees or go rolling down the hill. Didn’t even fall off the bike. Haha but the trail paths were more narrow than I expected, and the curves in the trail were sharp and steep along the hillside…but this is what mountain biking IS apparently.
Jason kept telling me, “no, don’t use your brakes, don’t use your brakes!” because I always want to use my brakes to have more time to think about how I am going to do something, but then that gets me into trouble! Haha So I got lots of practice on how to lean into the bike to turn and how to ride up onto the curve to use the momentum to keep me from flinging off the path.
When we first started onto the trail, the first thing was riding over a “narrow” bridge (well in my mind it seemed narrow). I was following Jason and then when I got to that bridge I stopped when I got to the start of the bridge and in my mind I thought “What? Why is my mind playing with me here? Why did I feel like “woah wait a minute, what if I wobble a tiny bit and fall right off the bridge and into the water?” And as I was thinking this I heard Jason say, “it’s all in your mind, just go forward”…. and once I got my mind in the right place I moved forward and got myself going on the trail.
This completely surprised me –how my mind reacted so differently to the part of the path that was flat and had ground on either side of it verses the path that was the same width, but just dropped on either side. When I saw the part of the path that dropped on either side I would have to battle my mind a little bit and just grit my teeth and keep moving forward. If I thought about it too much, I would stop and be like “woah, wait a minute, but what if in my novice, beginner state I roll right off the path and go tumbling?”
Guess, what though?
I didn’t go flying off the path, I didn’t hit any trees, I didn’t slam into any rocks, I didn’t go flying through the air into the creek. I mean, it’s always possible that some of those things could happen, and you know, they probably will in some way or another.
But why would I let this keep me from moving forward on the trail?
Loving these lessons, Lord. *grin* I think it’s funny and neat and like “oh my goodness am I really doing these things” all at the same time.
I looked up the word “Adventurous” this morning and it means…
“willing to take risks or to try out new methods, ideas, and experiences.”
“Full of excitement, requiring courage”
And it means…
“Daring, venturesome, bold, fearless, brave, unafraid, unshrinking, dauntless, risky, dangerous, uncertain, a willingness to accept risks but not necessarily imprudence.”
–Heather
