i asked two of the grandies

to go bike riding with me

but to have mercy

go easy on me

i haven’t been on a bike in two years

they are great riders

mountain bikers, road bikers, hill jumpers

all i wanted was to get my bike legs back

by starting on a flat surface

they were patient

told me some roads looked tricky

but i’d be okay

along the way they challenged me

and asked me if i could ride

using just 3 limbs, 2 limbs, 1 limb, no limbs?

(no to all)

with 4 limbs, a few minor crashes, tight turns,

near misses, and less than perfect balance

i survived the ride

and rode the next couple of days with them

each day i got a little sorer

but the ride got a little easier

they figured i’d get better by the end of the month

when i asked how they’d rate me as a rider

they told me that i began on the ‘terrible’ level

and had moved up to the ‘almost moderate’ level.

 i took that to mean

‘almost mastery’ level.

—

“she who succeeds in gaining the mastery of the bicycle will gain the mastery of life.”

-susan b. anthony