when i was in the fifth grade, i was a master bike rider. i was no lance armstrong, but i was pretty awesome. i had a red, six speed bike and i could literally ride it anywhere but inside my house. the driveway, side walk, street, lawn, up grassy knolls, down steep piles of dirt made by the construction on the house down the street. i love the feeling of being able to ride anywhere.
most of all, however, it was my time to think. this was when i could be alone and think about all the troubles that i was having. you might be wondering to yourself, "what on earth could possibly trouble a fifth grader?" many many things. we like to think of our childhood as simpler time; however, we were just as stressed out back then as we are today. that which troubled us during our childhood doesn't seem very important now because we hold it to the standards that we have today, but is it fair to compare the two? ok so maybe the fact that i hadn't seen titanic yet when everyone else in my class had already seen it twice doesn't seem like a big deal, but it was. my friends would move away to talk about it, i was always out of the conversation, my teachers even made references to the movie while teaching that i didn't understand. leo and kate were these really cool people who everyone knew but me, and i was made sure of that fact. i was ostracized, something difficult for a fifth grader to deal with.
regardless, all of these problems would be mulled over while on my bike. i could ride as fast as i wanted and imagine the worry blown out of my mind and out through my flowing hair behind me. the faster i sped, the farther i could get away. away from fifth grade politics and lanyard bracelet wars and my lack of capris. and it always worked. i came back from all of that just fine. i survived the fifth grade, and it seems as if bike riding was my answer.
i recently took up bike riding again and it felt like i was back in elementary school. i felt so free and light on it that i didn't want to get off, exactly like the old days. maybe this is the key to my stress relief and my fifth grade had it right. take some time, ride like the wind, and leave all my troubles behind. it's a theory that i am very willing to test out.
most of all, however, it was my time to think. this was when i could be alone and think about all the troubles that i was having. you might be wondering to yourself, "what on earth could possibly trouble a fifth grader?" many many things. we like to think of our childhood as simpler time; however, we were just as stressed out back then as we are today. that which troubled us during our childhood doesn't seem very important now because we hold it to the standards that we have today, but is it fair to compare the two? ok so maybe the fact that i hadn't seen titanic yet when everyone else in my class had already seen it twice doesn't seem like a big deal, but it was. my friends would move away to talk about it, i was always out of the conversation, my teachers even made references to the movie while teaching that i didn't understand. leo and kate were these really cool people who everyone knew but me, and i was made sure of that fact. i was ostracized, something difficult for a fifth grader to deal with.
regardless, all of these problems would be mulled over while on my bike. i could ride as fast as i wanted and imagine the worry blown out of my mind and out through my flowing hair behind me. the faster i sped, the farther i could get away. away from fifth grade politics and lanyard bracelet wars and my lack of capris. and it always worked. i came back from all of that just fine. i survived the fifth grade, and it seems as if bike riding was my answer.
i recently took up bike riding again and it felt like i was back in elementary school. i felt so free and light on it that i didn't want to get off, exactly like the old days. maybe this is the key to my stress relief and my fifth grade had it right. take some time, ride like the wind, and leave all my troubles behind. it's a theory that i am very willing to test out.
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