Written and Edited - June 30th, 2017 - 1:57 pm - 2:29 pm
Edited - July 7th, 2017 - 4:29 pm to 4:32 pm
Learning to ride a bike
I've always been somewhat reserved. For example, when I was a kid I wasn't social. I didn't get together with my peers.
So looking back it wasn't surprising that my mother and Jim continued to talk with me and encourage me to go outside and play. I think my mother and Jim were concerned. And Jim's demeanor was very outgoing and he liked to be active which included camping.
One Christmas, I think it was 1977 or 1978, I was about 10 years old. Jim and my mother bought me a purple bike. I think Jim might have put it together, but I don't remember.
I don't remember how I responded. I'm thinking that my reaction was, but I don't know how to ride a bike as I said with some anxiety and hesitation. And while I don't remember the details of the conversation, the gist was that one or both of them would teach me.
At some point, I have a vague memory of Jim teaching me how to ride the bike. I remember being on the awkwardly paved section in front of the house. I have a vague memory of Jim teaching me how to peddle the bike with my feet and explore ways to practice my balance. And I think Jim held the bike some while I was practicing balancing the bike and I think in place and moving forward.
At one point, I was riding up and down Cypress Street on the block that my house was on and between Aycock Junior High School and our house on the other side of the street.
The street is about 2 feet wide. At one point, I was riding down the street and saw a car coming towards me. Fortunately, both of us were going at a pace that wasn't too dangerous. I wanted to stop but I didn't know how. I realized at that moment that Jim taught me how to move forward but didn't teach me how to break.
So I pushed myself down to my left where my bike and I fell down on the ground and got hurt a little. But I knew that being hit by the car would be worse.
For a long time, my memory would tell me that Jim didn't teach me how to break. That he probably was in a mindset of moving forward and not breaking because that was his rhythm. He was active.
Now, after more self reflection and being diagnosed with autism, I wonder if Jim did explore breaking with me and it didn't register in my mind.
So I want to thank my mother and Jim for buying me the bike and teaching me to ride. Looking back, I feel like I gained some life lessons about getting out there, facing a challenge, and turning something I don't want to do to enjoying it which was learning to ride a bike. And facing the car, I took care of a need by making a decision and taking action by myself and not relying on someone else. And I was fine.