About two months ago, my daughter asked me to remove the training wheels from her bike and teach her to ride without them. The big day finally arrived, and we unscrewed the training wheels and were ready to go.
For the first attempt, I held her front bars and tried to leave go for a few seconds at a time as I ran along with her, and she tried balancing and going forward at the same time. A few minutes later, we were ready for the next step as I got her into position and stood right behind her, and held my hands hovering either side of her, in case she were to lose her balance, and then I gave her a sendoff to start riding.
She was pretty determined and sure enough within about ten minutes she was going up and down our street all by herself. She was filled with joy and excitement and couldn’t wait to tell her older siblings about how well she did and how she could now ride just like them.
Since then, we have done many miles of cycling together on roads and rail trails and continue to enjoy the thrill of biking together in beautiful New England.
As a parent, teaching your kid to bike is a special moment, as you enable them to bike on their own and learn to peddle and move forward at their own pace.
Biking is something which has many parallels to life, as we too learn to begin peddling, moving and turning through the paths of life. We make sure our tires are full of air to the right level of whatever our riding terrain requires, we understand that sudden stops or slowing down at the wrong times can be no good, we also know that going to fast or not holding on to the handlebars can be unsafe, and of course we wear helmets to protect ourselves just in case something does go wrong.
In my biking experiences which have included pulling a wagon or tandem biking, I have also learned that the more weight you pull upwards, the more that can help you keep your speed when you are going downhill or over flatlands.
At first our children our young and we may hover over them as they get going on their journey, but then we train them to begin going on their own, yet we still remain in the background watching nervously. Then our greatest joy is watching them learn to move along in a healthy and safe way on their own respective journeys to make good things happen in their lives and in the world around them.
Life is a journey, and in a certain sense we are all peddling along and trying to make progress.
As we move forward, we initially do so with tremendous support from others, but as we progress, we need to learn how to keep moving forward, even when we don’t have everything we need to give us the perfect balance.
Keeping a healthy amount of air in our tires, is certainly an important point and perhaps one of the most important features of cycling. The pressure in the tires, could certainly represent, a good balance of joy and positivity for life, along with a determined attitude for a healthy moral and spiritual direction.
Brakes are also important, as sometimes we need to know when to slow down in life, so that we don’t crash into someone else’s path, or overdo our own journey.
Sometimes we might feel like we are going uphill and the ride is tough, yet even then we can know that we are creating more energy for the ride onwards that will surely come sooner or later.
Indeed the heavier the load, the greater the energy and power you are going to have for the journey forward.
Sudden stops aren’t too good, and gradual buildup of speed is usually a good way to go.
Of course, especially when it is hot outside, keep yourself hydrated and drink plenty, otherwise you won’t be able to get to far.
The teachings of the Torah are often compared to water, drink and consume plenty of such fluids, especially when it is hot and challenging out there. It will give you the power and energy to keep peddling forward no matter how hot or humid it is.