I never did give away the bicycle from my teen years. It spent over a decade in storage, then close to another decade in our apartment when the storage room was renovated. Kickstand down, untouched, kind of in the way. Just another item screaming "why don't you just get rid of me already?"
Until today.
Today, I put the kickstand up and took the bicycle out. I got on, slowly, tentatively, doubtful that the adage "like riding a bicycle" was really true. Would I really remember how to do it? Would I really have the balance or the coordination, even if I still remembered the steps?
Within moments, I found myself riding around the courtyard outside our building. The pace was slow, and steady--no racing here, but no fear of falling either. As I circled around and around, the breeze wafting through my hair, I discovered that sometimes, life really is "like riding a bicycle" (especially, I suppose, when what you are doing is riding a bicycle). While your skill set must be maintained, the things you have learned don't just evaporate from lack of use. Many of them are still kicking around within you--it's just a matter of pulling them out and choosing to use them.
Today, riding a bicycle was just like, well, riding a bicycle. New, yet oddly familiar. Difficult, yet remarkably simple. So much of what we can do spends years sitting in the corner. It's nice to be reminded that much of it can still be taken out, dusted off, and discovered again.
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