I was an awkward child. I didn’t learn how to ride a bike until I was in second grade which was well past the ages of my friends. When It finally clicked for me on that fateful fall day I was hooked. I rode my bike everywhere. I was always awkward on it though. Always a bit unsure of myself.

One day I was at a track meet at the local high school with my family. I rode my bike there and was tooling around the premises when I encountered some kids who were older than me and who I felt intimidated by. I was nervous as I was riding past them and because of my nervousness I forgot how to steer my bike. I found myself pointed toward a steep, rocky hill leading down to the track. Before I could remember how to use the pedals to brake I was flying down the hill. I vaguely remember trying to dodge rocks as I careened faster and faster to the bottom. When I reached it I crash-landed and flew off my bike.

The track meet stopped and every adult in the vicinity surrounded me to see if I was ok. I was ok. I was scraped up and bruised but nothing was broken. I was more embarrassed than anything else. My glassed flew off my face during all of this and I couldn’t see without them. I mentioned this and they were found by an adult, completely intact. I remember one of them joking, “She must have Timex glasses,” referring to their popular slogan “It takes a licking and keeps on ticking.”
Much like that awkward little girl on the bike.