Adult Baby on a Bike

I was completely surprised last week when Firas rolled up to the driver's window of my car on a bike.... that he had found as a gift for me! I have been talking about getting one for months, and both of us have commented on how much fun it would be to ride them together. I never thought he'd actually find me one, but he did and I love it! I jumped out of my car screaming, "SHUT UP! NO WAY!" and a few minutes later, I was awkwardly making my way onto the seat of the bike and taking it for a spin around his condo's parking lot. I was a little uneasy at first, as it has been at least six years since I've even sat on a bike. I had put up a facebook status in regard to the city of Austin looking out for their lives whenever I'm on my bike as it had been a long time since I've ridden and a friend commented, "You'll be fine.... it's just like riding a bike." How clever. And I was hoping he was right.

I was ready for my first big biking adventure on Sunday afternoon. Firas, Angie, and I planned to ride our bikes to Zilker Park for the kite festival. I was a tad bit, okay VERY, nervous about this excursion as we would be riding on high-traffic roads, down a very steep hill, and then have to endure an uphill battle on the way back. I couldn't help but think back to when I was in elementary and middle school, when all we would do was ride our bikes. That was our only mode of transportation, especially if our parents were at work or busy. We had our own version of a biker gang back in the day that we liked to call the 'West Leigh Posse". West Leigh was our neighborhood, and our bikes knew every inch of every road. I would fly down the main hill of West Leigh Drive with my arms in the air. We would ride our bikes down an extremely steep off-road hill on a very narrow path while our arms brushed up against unkept prickly bushes and vines. We would ride all the way to the end of the neighborhood in the middle of the ungodly hot summer, stopping at the railroad tracks and wondering if we would ever make it back without water. It was our idea of Survivor, I suppose. But what I'm trying to say is that I was fearless. We didn't think twice about riding our bikes, falling, or getting back on our bike after a great big spill. It's just what we did.

Times have changed. I was literally gripping my handlebars for dear life while focusing on how close I was to the cars parked alongside the curb and doing my best to keep my balance and stay upright on the bike. It was still as thrilling as a bike ride should be, but instead of feeling free, I felt afraid. When the heck did that happen? Call me Grandma Jac. Regardless, I was very proud of myself when we arrived to Zilker Park and when we arrived back at Firas's condo; it was quite a feeling of accomplishment. So here's to my next big big adventure and feeling a bit more confident.... who knows, maybe I'll throw my arms up in the air down another steep hill one of these days. Or maybe in a couple years... considering I took one hand off the handlebar to wave back at a homeless man on Sunday and felt that I was about to tip over and plummet to my death. I'll work on that.

Sidenote: As I was having these thoughts while on our bike adventure, I kept wondering why I sounded like a Carrie Bradshaw column. And after a quick google search on Sex and the City quotes, here's why:

"When you're young, your whole life is about the pursuit of fun. Then, you grow up and learn to be cautious. You could break a bone or heart. You look before you leap and sometimes you don't leap at all because there's not always someone there to catch you. And in life, there's no safety net. When did it stop being fun and start being scary?"

Amen, sister Carrie.