7th Grade – Me and my brother got our first red Atlas cycle. We were so excited about our gift that we kept pestering our Dad by asking silly questions-
“How much time will we take to learn cycling?”
“Ok..How much time did you take?”
“Should we drive fast or should we be very slow?”
“How will we balance it without putting our both feet on the ground?”
“This tyre is so slim..What if a dog comes..and what if it’s a buffalo? The cycle will skid.”
“Ok..How will we take a turn while cycling (biggest fear)…Should we also move in synch?” ..and..so..on and on..
Finally after answering a few of the logical ones..and telling us about the functioning of the brakes and the pedals..Dad coolly told us -
“Just sit and I will hold the cycle from back to balance it for you till you learn to balance it yourself. You both are smart enough to learn it real quick. Every successful beginning requires a sacrifice. So, don’t be afraid of falling and shedding a little blood because that is how you will learn by overcoming all your fears. .”
So, I kept my first foot on the paddle..barely managing the second one, holding on to father on one side and mom on the other…and there..I started off with Dad running to match the pace..So much for the exercise for him too.:)
After four or five rounds when I finally managed to balance the cycle, Dad left his hand without letting me know and I drove fast..very fast to keep my balance in place and excitement was on its peak. But on the next turn, I saw a scooter coming and did not act on reflex to pull the brakes. The next reflex…I pushed my legs on the ground..and poof…with mud all around..there I was on the ground..all four corners..my new cycle beside me.
Yes! There were little drops of blood dripping from my knees but I was really happy to see them because I knew that now I would be perfect at cycling. My brother was way ahead of me..getting both his elbows bruised but he learnt much faster than me.
Day1 and we both were bikers. Thanks to Dad for his advice and Mom for her silent support by just watching us for hours.
Here it goes..a learning for lifetime...
Not everything can be learnt theoretically. There will be people to support you and advice you for sometime. Appreciate and learn from what they tell you. But after that, only you will need to deal with circumstances practically and head-on. You might even have to make a lot of sacrifices. You might fall down and get hurt badly in the process but do not let the fear of unknown stop you because it is ok to get hurt for what you want best.
Just be sure to rise again amidst all such failures and fallbacks because only that defines your endurance limit and your inner strength..and you do have a lot of it. It’s just that you need someone to assure you that and then…
You will rise from the Ashes, soar like Phoenix towards the Zenith as your Horizon lies there!
