Ride a Bike

image from The 6th Floor

"Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving forward."

--Albert Einstein

Yesterday I saw a small boy learning to ride a bike. By his side was a father, uncle, or friend--I can only assume--offering a guiding hand should the boy lose balance and fall. As the boy got momentum and pedaled faster on the man started jogging along side him, keeping his arms outstretched for support--a safety net, a lifeline just close enough for the boy to touch. 

Couple what I saw with Eintein's quote, which I believe to be true. We do have to keep momentum to stay balanced in life and to move beyond the good, the bad, and the ugly. But we don't have to do it alone. Even if there's but one hand outstretched for support, you have to have a place to reach out when you start to lose balance, when you cannot move forward. Maybe you have two, three, four, even five pairs of hands there to catch you. Either way I think it's a reminder--simply learning to riding a bike--and it invites us to take a step back, surveying those we lean on when we forget how to or, rather, that we can keep moving forward. Even if you cannot see it, there's someone there to pick you back up.