by Rosalie Vincent

Created on: June 11, 2008

Just Keep Pedaling

When I was five and learning to ride my very first bike, my mother had very long, dark hair that was down to her waist. She always wore it in a bun during the day to keep it out of her way, but as she ran along side me telling me that when I got the most scared I should just keep pedaling, a few strands came loose and blew behind her. She let them fly free as she said softly but surely near my ear, "If you fall, you do, everyone does, but you're only a few feet off the ground, see? So no matter what it'll be OK ... are you ready?"

I nodded, and the world started moving by quite a bit more quickly beneath and all around me.

"Look straight ahead and keep looking straight ahead even when it's scary ... never stop pedaling ... just keep pedaling ......... keep pedaling ................. keep pedaling!"

I don't remember ever crashing, though I'm sure I did. I only remember how it felt to fly like that, the wind on my face and the sound of my mother cheering behind me. "You did it, baby! You did it!"

I forgot about this story until last night when I ran next to my daughter and heard my mother once again, "If you fall, it's OK. You're just a couple feet off the ground...see? So no matter what you'll be OK... are you ready?" And when she nodded, we moved the world.

"Look straight ahead and keep looking straight ahead even when it's scary....never stop pedaling.......and when it's the scariest... just keep pedaling....keep pedaling...........keep pedaling!"

I let go, and she flew.

"Mommy! I did it!"

"You did it, baby! You did it!"

The day preceding this evening's flying lesson was a day like many I've had in my life. Maybe not as world moving as others, but somewhat. I was stressed and troubled by things that would not be painlessly resolved, and pondered the repercussions of taking a stand for what I knew was right.

After all the day's events I lay in bed and thought about how easy it is to get caught up in distraction and allow fear to cripple us, and about how if this happens, we crash. I thought about how sometimes we crash anyway, but then about how perspective always puts us just a few feet off the ground.

I was comforted then by the thought that my mother taught me the only way to ever take off is to commit and go full speed, to look straight ahead even when it's scary. And that when it's the scariest, to just keep pedaling.

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