The Spring is here now and the dark, gloomy and misty days have given way to bright blue skies and sunny days with trees and plants blooming all over wherever I see. It gives me immense joy and I look forward to my walk in the morning exploring different tracks in the forest nearby and also on the roads which I had not taken till now. I observe that suddenly there are lots of people on the road and roads are teeming with people and their cycles. There are cycles of all shapes and sizes and colors all over the place. The city doesn't have hills and has flat surface and area and it's a very smooth ride for bikers here. I watched every biker passing by with marvel and a great respect. There was only one glitch.
When was I going to become one of them? I never rode a bicycle till last week. Yes. You read it right. I never seriously took it to my heart to learn to ride a cycle. It's a different story that my son can ride his cycle without the support wheels but I had no idea if I could ever be able to ride one with him and go on a bike tour as a family. I won't give you reasons for not making it happen till now but the city where I stayed in Mumbai and later in Bangalore hardly had any pavement or tracks for a cycle ride. I traveled by train in Mumbai and then by car or bus in Bangalore. People in some cities like e.g. Pune are born with a penchant for two wheeler. Every single person residing there rides a cycle or a 2 wheeler. I don't think anyone else in other parts of India is blessed with such love for riding. After coming to Germany, I realized that even here, every single person, aging from 2 years to 85 years can ride a cycle and I felt really awkward to mention that I can't ride one. My husband mentioned it quite a few times earlier but I dismissed him saying the weather was not good and the cycle seat was too high and stuff like that.
But with such a lovely weather I had no reasons and my lovely neighbor, Ute came to my rescue. She promised me to help me in learning to ride. She had the confidence that in 2-3 days I would be able to ride a cycle without help. I didn't mention it to her that I was least expecting to sit properly on a bike, leave alone ride it alone. She took me out on the evening of my son's birthday. She told me it's your birthday too as a mother, so why not take up a new skill today. She told me you will definitely look back next year on the same day and feel proud of yourself that you did something new. I was not sure of myself but because only on her insistence, I went down and decided to give it a try. My husband caught the cycle on one side and Ute on the other. I stumbled. I went left and right and I was fearful of what if I fell down and broke my legs. We practiced for about 45 minutes. It was a very mediocre effort but Ute was all praises and she told me that I did a good job.
On Sunday we couldn't go because I was not feeling well. But on Monday I went again with her at around 2 pm and she helped me out again. She was catching the cycle on one side as there was no one else to help on the other. But we had a pretty good session and towards the end of it, she actually let me ride alone without catching me, just running beside me in case I lose my balance. I couldn't believe my eyes that I was actually riding a bike on my own. I spent years on self-doubt of whether I would be able to do it or not, am I good enough or not etc. Ute's push and my resolve and around 45 minutes practice on second day were enough to 'give me wings' literally. I marveled at my own capacity. I leapt in joy like a small child after realizing that it took me 38 years to experience this joy of riding a bike. How many years did I waste? Well. That's not important right now. Important is I tried and I made my mind. I can't thank Ute enough. I also mentioned this to her that only because of her I am able to ride a bike today. She declined very politely saying she hasn't done anything. It's me who took it to heart and that's how I learnt it. I very soon plan to do a bike tour with family and I am diligently practicing on the bike alone now.
Soon I will start to go on the main roads and then explore different cycling tracks just like I am discovering walking tracks. I realized that age is no bar or an excuse to stop learning and exploring. One must continue to explore and try new things. It is a well known fact that a new skill keeps the brain sharp and helps keeping many age related diseases at bay. So people don't be afraid to try new things. Keep learning, keep growing, be happy and spread happiness.
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