Pedals and Perseverance: A Wobbly Journey to Cycling, Learnt a new skill : BCT XVI

 Hello all,

Here in UK , I realized cycling is a basic life skill that can save a lot of time, also a great exercise. I recently embarked on a journey that could rival Odysseus' epic tale—sans the sea monsters and sirens but with a fair share of wobbling. The quest? Cycling, a seemingly simple art I'd failed to master in seven different phases of my life. I'd tried it everything, to an extent of buying a cycle from a stipend back in India, each attempt as graceful as a giraffe on roller skates.

Then came the revelation—the eureka moment that balance was not just a metaphor for life but a literal skill I needed to conquer. There I was, a grown adult, ready to confront my nemesis—my bicycle. My dad, who had come in here to visit me agreed to help me again. Yeah , a 30 year old woman going back to her dad to learn cycling. He went out of his way got the bicycle for me as I worked through my clinical shifts. He saw me wobble down on the first step a couple of times and offered to help. I asked him , what's the technique you are going to use ? I have to be mentally prepared for it. He smiled and said, just paddle , Ill take care.

Dad held the seat and helped me balance and was running with the bicycle. As I mounted the bike, visions of childhood scraped knees flashed before my eyes. I took a deep breath and set forth, gingerly pushing the pedals. Much to my surprise, the laws of physics seemed to bend in my favor, and I was gliding, not wobbling, down the path. Who knew it could be this easy?

This went on for 10 minutes and then I was tired and almost lost balance. That's when he laughed and said, "You are balancing it well , Well done!" ."Its because you are around and holding the seat , "I said. "I was just running with the bike, you were the one balancing and paddling," he said. Apparently he was let his hand go 5 minutes after I took off. I felt bluffed but this worked!

But let's rewind to the failed attempts. Attempt #1: Age 4 in the '90s, my elder siblings cycle , my feet didn't reach the ground. Attempt #2: Age 7 same cycles with my cousins, crash landed into a neighbor's car . Attempts #3 to #6: Classified information due to extreme embarrassment. Attempt 7 as a 27 year old , formed a cycling club, encouraged all my co fellows to purchase a cycle with me , had an embarrassing fall. Gave into my procrastination. Apologies to the girls who spent a couple of grands under my influence. Nobody went cycling.
So, why did cycling suddenly make everything click into place? Was it the wheels? The wind in my hair? Or maybe, just maybe, the universe finally decided to cut me some slack. And then it hit me—balance was not just about keeping the bike upright; it was about facing the imposter syndrome that whispered, "You can't do this" in my ear.

In the calm and safe cocoon of my learning environment, away from the chaos of honking cars and bustling crowds, I discovered the secret sauce to mastering balance. It turns out, finding equilibrium is not just about physical stability but about quieting the cacophony of doubt in your mind.

As I pedaled down the serene path, I couldn't help but appreciate the cosmic joke—seven failed attempts to teach me a lesson in humility, only to realize that sometimes, it's not about failing but about failing forward. And so, my cycling saga continued, a saga of triumph over wobbling, a saga that made me the two-wheeled warrior I am today. As I navigated the twists and turns, I couldn't help but marvel at the parallel with life. Maybe, just maybe, learning to balance isn't just a physical skill; it's a metaphorical dance with the imposter within, a dance that, when mastered, propels you forward with newfound confidence.

So here's to learning to balance, both on and off the bike. And if you see a cyclist with an inexplicably large grin, wobbling through the neighborhood, it might just be me, the unlikely hero of a balancing act that spanned decades and, finally, found its center.
So far so much!