I will remember today forever.
When I was a kid, I learned to write a bike early. If my memory serves me right, I skipped the training wheels phase and went straight into an adult bike around 5 years old. I guess maybe I was a taller kid for my age, not sure. The bike that I learned to ride on was this Soviet style bike with a low frame, called Aist. It was white, smaller wheels, and it had a seat that was so tough! I remember after the first day of riding my behind was sore for days.
I spent hours riding my bike through my entire childhood and teenage years. Every summer, i would spend months in a village. There was no cell phones, no internet, and TV was crappy. The entertainment was working in the field, feeding farm animals, swimming in the river, and riding my bike through the forest. It was a blast. It’s a passion that I’ve slowly put away as I got older and life became more complicated.
But today, that passion and opportunity to practice it might be back. Because today, I went on a bike ride with my daughter.
We have been hoping to get rid of the training wheels for a while. Finally, it clicked. We went from being scared and not practicing, to riding confidently in a matter of a few hours. And today we did 1 mile ride together. It felt extremely special. I felt very proud for her achievement and seeing her succeed. And I also felt the joy she was experiencing by being able to go further than our cul-de-sac. There is certain freedom to a kid who can ride the bicycle: their world just got bigger by the distance their bike can carry them.
Now, a bike rack for our car is much higher on the priority list. I also want to explore bike attachments to allow our GSD to jog with us and slowly build her up. More adventures ahead!