There is something very therapeutic about riding a bicycle.  It takes me back to being a kid, pigtails flying as I raced up and down the driveway tirelessly on my balloon-tire, hand-me-down two-wheeler.  Now my rides are a little different. I seek solitude on the trails, traversing through the trees, splashing through puddles, navigating rocks and roots alike.  I still feel like the pigtails are flying!

Over the last year of regularly hitting the trails I discovered that roots were similar to speed bumps and rarely could I actually roll over them.  I was intimidated by their mass, lacking the momentum to carry me up and over.  Often a root in my path would bring me to a complete stop.  I would awkwardly wrestle the bike over, usually striking a shin with a peddle and causing some colorful bruising by the end of my ride – lasting badges of the outdoor adventure.

I had a light-bulb moment among the trees one day.  I was approaching the roots in my life the same way.  I’d come up against a hefty obstacle causing me to come to a dead stop. Then I would clumsily navigate my way through it to prove to myself I was strong enough to tackle it. I was too proud to seek out help.  I could wrestle the daily bumps on my own, but it was slow. I often lost my momentum and there were many times when I carried lasting bruises – stress, lack of sleep and anxiety – for attempting to resolve things alone.

In riding, I’ve learned a couple of tips: 1. Softer tires will ease over the root or rock.  In contrast, hard tires will slam into the obstacle and can often toss you airborne over the handlebars.  2. You will steer where you stare.  If you’re looking at the obstacle, you’ll hit it.  If you look at the path beyond, your wheels will follow the same line of sight.  What pure and simple life lessons.

Soften your approach to problems and chances are you will ease over and through them.  Stop staring at the obstacle and focus on the path beyond.  The confidence in knowing where you want to go and trusting the knowledge and tools you possess are going to ease you through the difficulty and continue to track you on your path. Add reliance on faith and you’ll never battle alone.  Never lose sight of the goal ahead. Keep those wheels rolling and let the pigtails fly!