A First Time Adventure

There is something about doing something new, facing a new challenge, risking something, and tackling it that is so rewarding.  I’m not talking about moving, though my concepts include that decision.  For me, this week, it was mountain biking.  

Giving the fact that there are no mountains in Iowa, I have never experienced this great sport, but have thought it would be fun.  Around here, though, where hills and mountains are abundant, and outdoor sports are the norm, mountain biking is a short afternoon activity.  Sarah and I headed to the south hills and began our climb about 2:15 Tuesday afternoon.  I haven’t ridden a bike on a road in years, let alone on hills, so the uphill was quite a challenge.  I am not in good shape either, so I was quickly winded.  But we kept pressing on (Sarah encouraging me), and finally made it to the top.  By the time we reached the top, I had adjusted and probably could have climbed more.

Sarah had prepared me for the awesomeness of the downhill ride, and as excited as I was, I was pretty scared too.  She took off ahead of me and was out of sight in seconds, speeding down the dirt path, standing on her pedals and looking like a pro.  My descent was not quite so smooth.  I started rolling downhill, holding my brakes, but continuing to gain speed.  I ran through the instructions in my head - stand up, pressure on the handlebars, absorb the shock and respond.  It’s all simply head knowledge till you do it though.  The faster I went, the more I wanted to sick down and shut my eyes.  I did not shut my eyes, but kept sitting down, then standing, then sitting, standing... I had a hard time steering and staying in the well established, but small rutted trail, and finally, at one point, I knew any control I had was gone.  My bike bumped out of the rut, and into another, depositing me in the surrounding rocks and sagebrush.  Ripped pants, a skinned knee and bruises only made me more excited to get back on.  

I don’t think I ever continued in movement for more than 30 seconds at a time, but those 30 seconds were wonderfully exhilarating!  I crashed again a short time later, taking a dive off the bike into a ditch, where I somersaulted, and gained a few more bruises and scrapes.  I climbed back on, and finished the ride down.  I can’t wait to do it again!

I felt awesome at the end of it.  It may be a simple thing, but it was so rewarding.  I was reminded of my time rock climbing in Peru, another sport I never envisioned doing, but that I enjoyed, or bungee jumping in South Africa.  Doing things for the first time is wonderful.  

In general, most of us keep our routine (even me in the midst of my journeys), and don’t often try new things. But how often do we think of ideas we’d like to try, whether it be sports, cooking, learning a new craft, or taking on a project?  It may take risk, sacrifice of some time, perhaps some failure, but it would be worth it.  When was the last time you did something for the first time?