I was just working in my front yard the other day, enjoying one of the few dry days we’ve had this year. I was coming close to the end of my project and I was starting to get that feeling you get when you start a job and can see it finished. I had worked hard and I was proud of the my accomplishment

As I was finishing up, I took notice of an event that was happening on the quiet street I live on. There was a young girl carefully riding down the street on her bike. She stood out because she was clearly new to this whole bike riding thing. As she came by, her expression was rotating through a mix of fear, determination, focus, and excitement. The front wheel of her small two-wheeler was unsteady and it was clear to me that this was one of her first experiences without the guiding hand of an adult or training wheels. Her grin could only be described as pure and unstoppable. She was filled with the unbridled excitement that only comes from a young child successfully going through a rite of passage. Then as she relaxed her grip a bit, the front wheel wobbled in an unpredictable way and her face changed to a combination of fear and focus. She managed to keep her balance and continued. As a result, her expression moved to one of determination, and then, eventually, back to giddy joy as she experienced the excitement of her own accomplishment. As she continued back and forth on the street I could see this sequence of emotions run across her face again and again.

How similar is her experience to our own? All of us regardless of age continue to learn as we go about our lives. We all have things that we’re a bit wobbly on. We start with a bit of self-doubt, some nervous excitement, and determination. Once we take those first few steps into whatever it is we try, we start to build confidence but without exception we’ll make a mistake or there will be a rock in the road and things will get a bit wobbly again. It’s how we react to these moments that’s important. Will we, like that little girl, re-focus regardless of our fear or will we stick our feet out, cruise into the grass and decide this is just too scary? If this young girl is any lesson, I can tell you that her grin was getting bigger by the minute and her feeling of accomplishment dwarfed my own. She reminds me that fear is just something to overcome so we can continue to grow, and that excitement and confidence is on the other side if we have the guts to go there. My lawn needs more work but I think I’ll go for a bike ride instead. Maybe I’ll see you out there!