Learning to Ride
By Leah Misch
Learning to Ride: if you’re not living life on the edge, you’re taking up too much room…
A year for many changes in my life came in 2010. Many things I was not ready for, but things that made me appreciate what living life truly meant. I heard a quote one day: “If your not living life on the edge, you’re taking up too much room.” What does living life mean to you?
Those words just made so much sense. What does living life mean to you? Is it dreaming of the things you want to do; or is it taking the beginning steps of living that dream? I was ready to try something new. So I did it. I signed up to learn to ride a motorcycle through the Ride Safe course. I remember getting to class and learning the theory and the instructor who said: “you need riding boots, not tennis shoes for class Hun!”
“Um… dude; these are my running shoes… and they have pretty good grip,” I replied.
“Ya… and they don’t have any ankle protection. You’ll need riding boots,” the instructor replied hastily.
I nodded my head like I understood what ‘riding boots’ were. I thought, “What does that mean anyways?” I have a pair of rubber rain boots from my last Red Cross Disaster Relief Operation, but I don’t see how those boots would be useful. No, I didn’t run home crying. I ran to a farming store and grab the first pair of leather boots I found over the lunch break. I made it back to class just in time to slip on my new Riding Boots.
My new pair of Milwaukee Boots
I remember walking out to meet the line-up of bikes. I proudly smiled at my instructor as I showed him my new pair of Milwaukee Boots. My bike was destined to be a red 250 Honda Rebel. I looked at the bike with a raised brow asking suddenly forgetting everything I just learned “which one is the ‘On’ switch, again?” I asked.
I sat on the bike and took a few breaths. I pushed the ‘On’ switch on and gave a startled scream. I walked the bike forward to get a feel of the bike’s balance, wondering if this was a good idea after all. By the end of the day I was riding on my own! From first gear to second gear, even raising the shifter all the way in to third for a brief period! I thought, “Wow I totally felt like I was ‘living life on the edge’ and concurred a new challenge!”
Today I have travelled… I sat on the bike and took a few breaths. I pushed the ‘On’ switch on and gave a startled scream. I walked the bike forward to get a feel of the bike’s balance, wondering if this was a good idea after all. By the end of the day I was riding on my own! From first gear to second gear, even raising the shifter all the way in to third for a brief period! I thought, “Wow I totally felt like I was ‘living life on the edge’ and concurred a new challenge!”