Still, I've dropped the bike three times this season. Once backing out of the garage and turning on dirt; once turning to line up with a gas pump; and last week while attempting a U-turn on a hilly gravel road.
That started when we turned the wrong way on the way home at the end of the day. I knew it was the wrong road when I saw it was patched with a thousand little blobs of asphalt, then turned into dirt. I pulled over to the side and tried to make a U-turn, but I wound up sideways at the other edge of the road with no tire traction and no boot traction on rocks and dirt. My next move: Drop the damn bike on a hill.
I wanted to blame my husband for leading us down this stupid road, but the fact is this was my own fault. I saw the gravel, I saw the hill, but I didn't see my way out of that situation, so I got stuck there.
Naturally, I was immediately flustered and angry. Ironman parked his own bike and ran to help me.
Two cars came by before we got it back on its wheels. One driver stopped to see if I needed help, and like a whiny little bitch I just said, "I don't need help," to hurry him out of my way, instead of thanking him for being so considerate.
I was too embarrassed and angry at my own self.
It took a few minutes for me to get over my misplaced anger and thank my man for helping me get it up off that stupid road and on our way in the right direction again.
Now I recall what my rider coach said when I dropped a bike in the basic rider course: "Shake it off." Until I do that, negative emotions prevent me from doing the right thing.
So I ask myself: When will I learn to cut the mental castigation, let things like this go and accept that I make mistakes?
Like everybody else.
We learn from our mistakes. We aren't here to be perfect — we're here to experience life.
It's what we make of it that matters.
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