Training Wheels

Have I lost my senses?

Maybe so, maybe so. Only time will tell.

We went to get the motorcycle. It was beautiful! They had it all shined up and running well. The color in the sunlight was more of a maroon than a mauve, and I liked it even better. I had Jim ride it out of the dealership parking lot and across the street to another parking lot so I could get some practice in before taking it out onto a real street. Our weekend course was all done in a parking lot so I was comfortable with that, street riding, I was not.

Across the street we went, and I practiced for about 45 minutes. Turning, slowing and stopping, signaling, and so forth. I was warming up to this new "toy" and liking it. Then it was time for some street riding. With Jim following me in the car, I made my way home. Onto busy streets and up hills and down--onto winding roads while saving the freeways for another time. I didn't think I was ready for them just yet.

The ride was wonderful.  A little more nerve-wracking than driving a car because every pot hole needed to be noted, every car turning across my path needed to be watched, and all this while getting used to changing gears and stopping in a completely different way. It was scary and exhilarating, all at the same time. By the time we arrived back home, after about a 20 minute ride, I was getting the hang of this thing, and I was beginning to see what other motorcyclists saw in it, it was FUN!

I could not wait to take it over to show my son, and then up to visit my sister and her family where they are camping this week. The open road awaited me, and all we had to do was grab a quick lunch and both get on our bikes, and we were off...or so we thought. Pulling out of the driveway here in the canyon we live in posed more problems than I expected. Jim, having ridden for a long time, was accustomed to those challenges, I was not. He rode on ahead of me and waited while I attempted to drive up the small hill in the driveway, look for traffic both ways, and pull on out--remembering to brake while sitting on a hill, accelerate while releasing the clutch and moving out into the roadway. Right at this point, a good set of TRAINING WHEELS would have been nice to have! Not only nice, GREAT!!

Because of the heavy traffic on this roadway, Jim waved me into the road, as our neighbor came up to our driveway and stopped to allow me to go ahead. He as waiting to come back down this same driveway. I started to move out into the roadway, a little more rushed than I should have been and that was all it took, across the road I went and into the ditch on the other side! I remember flying off the bike and my helmet saving my face as I hit the ground. It was not a bad crash, nothing more than one would experience on a regular bike, but it was a crash none the less.

What a sight for my neighbor and his son to witness! They immediately jumped out of their vehicle and attempted to help me up and get my bike upright once again. I was fine, but my beautiful new bike had some ugly new scratches and my confidence was certainly shaken! I could tell my knee might be banged up a bit, but with the adrenaline that was flowing, it was not very noticeable then.

We figured it was better to turn around and go back home for a bit, so I could collect my "senses," or what was left of them anyway. Of course, I wondered, is this what God had for me? How does this fit into His plan of freedom? Did I hear Him correctly? Was this bike for me or was I headed for certain disaster choosing this door in that room I had walked into seeking His will?

I don't have all the answers to those questions yet. Jim is encouraging me to "get back on the horse." I want to get back on the horse and ride. I really do, but for now I have some ice on my knee and a wondering spirit that questions what's what here? I look to God believing that accidents do not happen, that there is a reason for everything and I know that He is in control, even if I am a little out of control and needing training wheels. I write this now not knowing the end of this story. I'm praying about what God would have me do now, and what He would have me learn through this. So I will wait, and pray and wait and pray and see what comes next...

Part three to follow...