“The journey of life is like a man riding a bicycle.  We know he got on the bicycle and started to move.  We know that at some point he will stop and get off.  We know that if he stops moving and does not get off he will fall off.

– William Golding

It has been a long time since I’ve taken a bike ride; but I have no doubt that I could still put one in motion and even keep it upright.  There are certain things we do that create patterns in our brains; and once we have learned the pattern, it remains a part of us.  I remember learning about inertia in Physics class.  ”An object in motion,” we would recite, “tends to stay in motion.  An object at rest tends to stay at rest.”  People who ride bicycles know about the benefits of inertia, and so do couch potatoes.

Do you remember the first time you rode a bike?  Do you remember the tug-of-war between the excitement of picturing yourself cruising along on wheels and the fear of going fast enough to create the balance needed to stay upright?  Nobody wants to picture going too fast and losing control on a busy road; but we soon learn that trying to ride too slowly is just as likely to lead to a fall.  With practice, we learn that we can use the speed of adventure to create a state of balance that keeps us riding — that keeps us upright.  We learn that we have brakes as well as pedals, and we learn that those brakes are useful for modulating speed as well as for stopping.

I remember one of my boys, a sort of full-steam-ahead child, resisting our directions about braking and simply falling on purpose when he needed a break.  He would tumble into shrubs or leap from his bike, sending it flying ahead until it crashed into an obstacle that would cause it to stop.  There were many bike repairs and many band-aids in his life at the beginning; and soon he learned that balance referred to more than the upright position as he flew down the road.

If our days on Earth are something like a bike ride, then it is important that we learn how to pedal, learn how to brake, and learn how to maintain our bicycles so they last for the whole distance.  We must trust that through practice and repetition we will learn how to stay on course without having to tumble into the bushes and end up scratched and bruised when we go too fast.  We must use inertia — that amazing force of motion — to keep us traveling. Otherwise, we could end up on the sidelines before our trip is done.  All sorts of excitement greet us along our path.  Keep pedaling, stay balanced, and enjoy the ride.  Above all, don’t stop until you reach your destination.