Lessons from Riding the Bicycle

I tried to teach my daughter how to ride the bicycle today.

There are 3 lessons that I receive from the lesson that I attempted to give.

Firstly, balance is personal. As much as I would like to help my daughter find the balance while riding the bicycle, she has to personally discover that balance. How true it is in life too isn't it?

Second, the more you concentrate to avoid an object while learning to ride the bicycle, the greater the chance that you will hit it. That was exactly what happened to my daughter today. My friend who went to Yosimite to ski recently crashed into something that he consciously told himself to avoid. His ski trainer subsequently told him that the way to avoid something while skiing is to look ahead and not think about the object. Again, how true it is in life?

Thirdly, learn to let go. I could not bear to let my daughter fall and hence at every opportunity I held on to her bike. She was largely unsuccessful as a result. Then came the bicycle rental lady. She told my daughter that she should only remember 2 things, look ahead and cycle continuously. With that she gave my daughter a push and instructed her to cycle. That was the first time I saw my daughter balance and cycle for some distance. Instead of holding on tightly to the bicycle for my daughter, I gave her the push and off she went. She made major improvements and i think she is close to finding her balance when we return the next 2 days. Any resemblance to life's lesson about letting go?

Balance, look ahead and let go... this is how we cycle through life's journey!