I had a friend who suggested I could ride a ten-speed bike with her. I had never ridden one in my life. She said “Don’t worry it’s easy! I can help you.”
What she didn’t know, and I didn’t tell her is that it was very difficult for me to first ride a bike when I was a kid. I didn’t have a great sense of balance so that was the hardest part about learning how to ride a BMX bike. It took me a long time to ride it and even longer to feel confident on my bike. I was nervous when she suggested it thinking back to my early days.
However, my friend wasn’t ready to give up on me. She was patient with me and I told her that I would probably be slow and I would try it. She lent me her bike to try it and showed me how it should go. It seemed to take a long time for me but she said I learned it quickly. She was so proud and suggested that I come to her house to get a ten-speed so we could ride together. My old bike had no way it could keep up.
I agreed and we went to her house and I borrowed one of her brothers’ bikes. We rode around the country roads of the small town we lived in and it worked pretty well. She was very skilled but I was gaining skills too and I enjoyed riding with her.
Why do I share this now? If I had let my fears control me, I would not have those memories to cherish now. I appreciated her friendship and she always was kind and patient with me. Being a friend sometimes means being patient, but the rewards can be sweet.