May 3, 2007 – This date will go down in history as the day I learned to ride the bike.
I have been riding the bike with only one training wheel for a while. I had reached a point where the remaining training wheel was more of a nuissance than a convenience, but still hadn’t mustered the courage needed to remove it. Last week, dada suggested we remove it. I was skeptical, but agreed when he promised he won’t let me fall. So, he removed it and I rode a little with him holding me.
Then, today (a rainy day), after dada came home, we decided to go for a quick walk in between the rain showers. Dada and mama suggested I take the scooter because I am more comfortable with it, but I decided I will try the bike (without the training wheel). Amazingly, I just rode it myself. Mama jogged in front of me and dada jogged along with me. He held me under my shoulders in the beginning. After a few minutes, he just placed a finger in my armpit (because I was getting afraid when he would take his hand off me). His touch would just give me confidence. After a while, he just took his finger off too and I was confidently riding all by myself. Dada still kept jogging by my side because I would still need his help when I wanted to stop. We went around the Narbonne drive loop (1.7miles). By the time I reached home, I could even dismount myself.
It wasn’t completely without incidents. I lost control a few times, but dada caught me in time most of the times, but once I fell off. Dada caught me before I hit the ground, but I hit my leg on the bar and it hurt so much that I cried. Dada showed me the bruises on his knees that he got when he learned to ride the bike. He told me when he learned to ride bike in India, they only had big bikes and every fall would leave a few bruises somewhere on his body. And he learned it all by himself with nobody to hold him or protect him from falling. And, he told me, getting hurt only makes you a better rider. As he always says, “Anything that doesn’t kill you makes you tougher”. That made me feel better!
Today, I feel very proud of myself. Dada kept telling me how proud he is of me. I think I am the only kid in my class who can ride the bike without training wheels. But, dada told me not to make a big deal of it. I have only started my life. I still have a long way to go.
