Bicycles and Balance

You Won’t Believe Your Eyes

Seaside Ophthalmology

has opened a St. Simons location to serve our island community. Dr. Tara Jordan, O.D., and Dr. John Minkoswki, M.D., team up to provide expert eye care, and our optical promises to impress even the most elite clientele.

Come in and visit our modern fusion of clinic and boutique!

912-357-0047 28 Market Street, Suite 128

Walk-ins and insurance accepted.

www.seasideeyes.com

ISLAND IMPRESSIONS

BY FR. TOM PURDY, RECTOR OF CHRIST CHURCH

Bicycles and Balance

I’ve had four new bicycles in my life. I’m very excited about the new one. When I was in elementary school I remember getting a BMX bike with a blue sparkle paint job. That was the bike I learned to jump and pop wheelies on. Then it was the black and hot pink mountain bike; remember, back in the late 80s and early 90s, hot pink was a thing! That was the bike I wrecked, resulting in a mild concussion. Then came my first serious bike, when I bought a Trek hybrid my first year of college. I had that bike for half my life. I babied it. It didn’t see its first rust until I loaned it to a car-less friend in seminary for a few months. I remember walking up to the school one winter day, laughing at the sight of some fool who left their bike locked up during a winter storm, resulting in an ice-encrusted bike. Then I realized it was my bike.

I actually gave away that Trek a couple of years ago and inherited a ten-year old mountain bike when a friend upgraded. Even though it was ten years old, I thought it was great. It had a front suspension and thumb shifters. I enjoyed riding it, but I quickly realized I didn’t like the frontleaning hunch that was required to ride it. When I developed tennis elbow, the stance and the grip required to ride simply didn’t work anymore, and I realized a needed a new bike. Since this year marks a milestone birthday, the kind with a zero on the end, my wife went bigger than a typical birthday and got me one – exactly what I wanted.

Cecil came home last month. Cecil is an ebony Electra Townie Balloon 8D EQ, if that means anything to you. If it doesn’t, he’s basically a cruiser-style, pedal forward, fat tire work of art. He’s got both a front and rear rack, a leather tool bag, a leather cup holder, and canvas and leather panniers to help me get back and forth to the office. I’m still looking for a moustache for him. He must have a moustache; he looks naked without one. And yes, I named him Cecil. It just fits. Many of my cars have been named, so it seemed appropriate to name the bike this time around. Based on my last new bike purchase, he’ll be around for a while.

I have had more fun riding a bicycle since Cecil than I have had in a very, very long time. It may make me seem like an old man, but I am so pleased to have a bicycle that is comfortable to ride, and one that is also practical. I never needed a mountain bike; we live in a place with perhaps a ten foot variance in elevation, if that, and no mountains even visible on the horizon! A friend confirmed that I look like an 80-year old man (no offense) on my big cruiser wearing my helmet (I learned from my childhood concussion!), but I must look like a happy 80-year old man. I have literally caught myself smiling while riding.

I have noticed one thing I’ve lost over the years, however. I have lost the ability to ride hands free. I used to ride all over without touching the handlebars, but now, I get shaky and need to keep at least one hand on the handlebars. I’m not sure when I lost my balance. I suppose riding became less fun somewhere along the way, or I simply didn’t ride quite as much, and the ability just faded away. To keep my balance, I need to keep a grip on things. I’m hoping that will change as I ride more frequently again, now that it is more enjoyable.

Balance is a tricky thing that way. Life is constantly in flux. Sometimes the harder we try to hold on to it, the more we wobble and stumble. Sometimes we’re able to find that comfortable groove where it seems we can just enjoy the ride, and other times, it’s less than enjoyable. For me, part of balancing in real life is trusting that when I let go of some of those things I am afraid to release, that I can, in fact, make it through. It helps to remember that God is along for the ride, and God can take on some of those things for me. Without God, I’m not sure I could manage.

So, Cecil and I are going to be out practicing letting go. Between God and my helmet, I’m not too worried about what will happen. If you see a handsome mustachioed bike on the Island with a rider grinning from ear to ear, feel free to say hello.