Stronger By Falling

A shout-out to City Bicycle Co., in Sacramento, who is cited in the above message that I came across. Powerful words and having seen some ugly road rash from bike crashes, very fitting.

I said in my last post that I would be writing about hibernation. Daylight is getting scarcer and scarcer here in the Midwest as November ticks along. The winds are blowing and the skies are flipping between rich autumnal blue and clotted gray blankets that drive you to make soup and sit in front of a crackling fire.

The natural world is shutting down and the year is coming to a close. Makes you want to do the same. Close up. Curl up. Shut down.

Hibernate.

While we can’t really do that, there is something to be said for taking a cue from the seasons. What benefits can we reap if we slow down? If we take a breathe? If we just stop for a little while.

You might argue that the above quote encourages to just keep going. Fall, Get Up. Fall, Get Up. Non-stop, all the way to that glorious light on the top of the mountain which is Success. I say, no.

When you fall off a bike, you pause and take stock. You check yourself, your gear and your bike. You shake the cobwebs out of your head. You figure out what’s wrong and you fix it. Then you take a second to grab a drink and tighten any straps, clips or pins that might have become loose. As you get back on the saddle, then you look ahead with your newly regrouped mind. You adjust your plan and then you take off.

The person who rides down an easy path won’t fall. They won’t risk the wounds others may suffer but where they end up won’t be much of a surprise or a feat, either.

For those who do fall, hibernating won’t help. Running helter-skelter won’t guarantee much, either. However, taking whatever time you can to rethink and make accommodations to where you find yourself before you get back on that bike?

You’ll be stronger for it.

Take the time.

Next Time: Fire