As Easy As . . .

I haven't used my mountain bike very much in the last five years. In fact, when we lived in Manitoba and I was pastoring and raising two young children I don't think I rode it at all. When I pulled it out to ride to school here in Saskatchewan, the chain was rusty (from sitting outside for three solid years) and only one gear was operating.

A few weeks ago a guy in town tuned it up for me.

The other day I was riding it home from school with a huge bag of library books in my hand and a laptop bag on my back. Balance is difficult in such a scenario. On that occasion I survived.

But it turns out I have overestimated my abilities on a bike. At one point I cut under a tree and over a roots and thought I'd hop off the path into a ditch to save time.

I remember two things: As the nose of the bike dips below me, I am putting my arms out to brace my fall and "save some face". It was a success. Only minor scratches on my arm, and no damage to my head.

The second thing I remember, probably no more than a split-second later, is looking back and noticing that I am upside down looking up at my own body in the sky, which is entangled with a mountain bike that is flipping over me.

That's the part that hurt. The back of my leg is pretty sore for some reason.

Apparently, riding a bike again after all these years is not quite as easy as riding a bike.