Before the age of sixteen my bicycle was my only form of transportation. The faster I pedaled, the farther I ventured into my imagination: I was the cop, they were the robbers. I was a motorcyclist on the open road. I was the navigator of my airplane.
I grew up in a neighborhood with four other houses settled in a cul-de-sac. We all called it "The Circle." Across the road was my best neighborhood friend, Dusty. We would ride our bikes constantly around the circle, through our yards, and down to the stop sign at the end of our road only to turn around and do it all over again.
We would see how fast we could take the inside corner of "The Circle" where light sand and dirt settled. Sometimes we would wipe out. Sometimes not.
One time, Dusty rode on my bike handles. It wasn't safe, but it was fun. Especially when he flew off my handlebars because I hit the brakes too hard and quick. We never did that again. It sure was funny though.
When we drew our chalk houses on our driveways, our bikes were our cars and were parked in our chalk garages.
Our bikes acted as step-ladders propped next to a tree in order to get a frisbee down or to simply just climb a tree.
I would "repair" my bike in our garage. Fiddling with my dad's tools, not really doing anything to fix the unbroken bike, but to pretend that I knew how to fix my bike, because it was fun.
I loved my bike as a child. Almost everything I did growing up was with my bike. At first it was my sister's banana seater, and then I received my own NEW bike as a birthday gift around the age of 11 or so.
It saddens me to see some kids who don't appreciate the power of the bicycle. They are too busy with video games and television. My childhood was my bike and the adventures we had together, and I hope my kids (when I have them someday) will share this love too.
I remember playing horse with my bike and feeding it and tying it up to trees or tying the wagon handle to the back of my banana seat and pulling the wagon!
ReplyDeleteI never learnt to ride a bike, so there wasn't really any way for me to do all these things. Admittedly, I did learn at one point but hated it: mainly because I don't like having my feet off solid ground (except when flying).
ReplyDeleteBut I think I can emphasise through reading. I go through books quickly and have read them for years- loved them for years. It makes me sad that some people really hate reading and own so few books. I can't understand how they can't have the passion to sit with a book and a hot beverage. But, as my friend says, "Anyone who hasn't read a good book can't like reading." Perhaps that's similar to cycling: only when you truly enjoy a bicycle session can you appreciate its full potential.