You Are Stronger Than You Think

A few weeks ago, I was gearing up for the most intense bike ride of my life. 

We’re talking the ultimate bike ride–a full-on bike train, if you will, that consists of one adult-size bike, one “junior” tag-along bike that attaches to the big bike for Ada, and topped off with a trailer hauling the remaining two children to that.

It’s about, oh say, 40 pounds of wobbly “help” from Ada on the tag-along and an additional 50 pounds of deadweight from the trailer.

And it makes for one killer ride. 

Normally, when we bike, we split the kids up between us; Ben on the big bike with the tag-along and one in the trailer, me with Jake in the baby-seat on my bike, or one of us with the trailer.

Like a lot of things in parenting, we work as a team. 

But not today.

As Ben prepared to mow the lawn and work around the house, I decided it was time to brave the bike.

All by myself.

It’s a short ride over to my mom’s house, just a few miles down the road (where she lives with a pool, I might add), but the hills are killer and to be perfectly honest with you, there are times when I’ve stopped and walked just riding by myself. Lance Armstrong, I am not.

Needless to say, the thought of embarking on the uphill ride, with all three children in the summer heart, all by myself, for the first time ever, was daunting.

I sat on the front porch with Ada, tying my shoes and trying to talk myself into the ride that lay ahead when I started to lose my motivation.

“I don’t know, Ada,” I said. “I”m nervous about this. What if I’m not strong enough to make it?”

Without missing a beat, my five-year-old put her hands on her hips and peered at me resolutely under her bright pink Barbie bicycle helmet.

“Mama,” she reprimanded me sternly.

“What if you are?”

I made it all the way without stopping.

And back. 

 

Photo credit: Stew Bean/paalia