Long time ago as it was, I can still recall the secen of learning to ride a bicycle .
It was in a summer prior to the year of 2000 when I, maybe at the age of 8, got the chance to learn how to ride a bike. At at time, I lived in the countryside, where green plants grew everywhere---especially aroud both sides of the road near my home.
I ever mentioned in a previous artical that crowns of the two rows of trees, which the road was between, crossed with each other in the sky right over the road, forming a natural ceiling to block a lot of glare and hot sunlights. Therefore, just the road with natural roof became we kids' paradise, where we played, laughed, and ran. Especially at midday, the hottest in a day, we, over 5 kids, avoided parents' monitor slipping away and ran to the road, where was very cool and shaded.
Upon reaching the road with natural ceiling, which we thought as a shelter, we felt comfortable mentally and physically due to shade and low temperature. On the surface of road, we would see large tracts of leaves' shadow against a few dots of sunlight passing through gaps of the natrual ceiling.
Others suggested me to try riding on a bike, which was a big challenge to me at that time. At first, I hesitated for a while because of fear and failure as well; then, with their growing insistance, I determined to have a try.
To make sure the bike go well and in line instead of turning over or being unstable in the course of my riding , one of them hold on back seat firmly right behind it. Having seeing everthing's in control, I stepped one foot on the one side of pedals and then rushed forward quickly with the other foot's power. The instant I felt a sense of weightlessness and ineitia, I stepped the rest foot on the other and sat on the seat.
With the playmate's help, who was supporting the bike running behind it all the time, I imitated those people who had been capable of riding to step the pedals rolling. Seemingly, I had been able to control a bike as well as others did; in reality, I just grasped their outside action but core technique and rule. Once the kid released it, riding became unstable, and at last the bike and me fell over on the ground altogether.
I felt disapointed and sad, a few tears streaming in the eyes. No sooner did others run here to help me stand up than they saw me fall over. Some of them apologised to me with guilt and sorry for avocating my riding, and they thought they were responsible. Seeing worry and self-blame in their face, I suddenly stopped weeping and took a few of deep breaths to calm down.
When feeling peaceful inside, I considered my failure carefully and concluded that it resulted in lack of confidence and independence. Over the riding, I believed I cannot master it because of its difficult; what's worse, I had never thought of relying on myself rather than others to make it. To sum up, the two critical reasons determined the above consequence.
With knowing why failed clearly, my courage and power recovered. I stepped on one pedal and then the other, and after sitting on the seat, I gathered all strenth to roll pedals, keeping focusing on riding mentally and physically. Meanwhile, during riding, I strictly sticked to the rules they taught me before, such as looking straight forward, riding in line, doing my best and so on. After a period of quiet, it bursted out a cheer behind me, which made me feel strange and a little nervous and, as a result, I fell off the bike. This time, I didn't weep and even anger at all but look backwards at them, who were clapping and bouncing in the distance. Afterwards I knew I rode a long way with stability, so they all felt cheerful that I finally made it.
Looing at their laughter and cheer in the face, I was toughed by their warmth and help. Until now, I am still grateful for their help and the friendship that ever exsited as well.
Once it had ever succeeded for once, no longer would it be a problem in future. To belive it or not, I could ride well afterwards, both in straight line and stability. Surely, now I am quite good at riding.
