Last year at IslandWood, I came into my own, again, as my friend pointed out to me. I shaved my head, which I've wanted to do since I was 11. I wrote poems and shared them publicly. Lacking my cello, I learned how to play guitar and grew a voice.
And, for the third (and final!) time in my life, I learned how to ride a bicycle.
It's been a whole year since I got on the two-wheeled monster named Norbert and learned how to pedal and balance. I feel a bit like a child typing that. Although it took my own bravery and gumption to hop back on the bicycle, after two failed attempts in my childhood, I could never have done it without the support of the IslandWood community. From Zach actually guiding me through the steps toward peddling, to Kate lending me her helemt for months, to Ray's tips on zig-zagging uphill, to folks just hollering and cheering for me as I rode by, I felt a lot of support everytime I got on the bike.
Now I've bought myself a bike that changes gears and has thin enough tires to make it up substantial hills. Misty (the Kona Dew Seattle bike that are to the horses of Chincoteague what Norbert was to dragons) is a beautiful hybrid with colorful streamers gifted by my roommate E.J. I ride her several days a week, to school, to work, to the grocery store, to the Bagley house for an afternoon visit. I still have a long way to go to be a comfortable city biker, I stick to the trails as much as possible. But I really love being at the stage where everyday that I hop on the bike, I can tell how I'm improving. I get a little bolder signaling, a little faster on the hills, a little more aware of what's going on with my bike.
No comments:
Post a Comment