Blog 5 - Story Draft

Riding up the Mountain

Ryder Reed

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                It was a cold October Saturday; leaves littered the ground and there was a slight chill to the air. Having no classes, I decided today would be a great day to go ride some local bike trails. I was right, the air was just cool enough to keep me cool but not cold and there were some beautiful sights to see in the woods. Unfortunately, I failed to gauge the risk and as I was soaring down one of the trails, I hit a large pile of leaves going around a turn. Suddenly having no grip, I was unable to make the turn and instead went flying down the hill, slamming my face into the ground, splitting it wide open and breaking my nose. Luckily there was someone to help and shortly enough I was in the hospital getting stitches. However, that moment had instilled a fear in me that wasn’t present before. A fear that would only grow as time passed. I needed to get back out there if I ever wanted to continue riding, but I couldn’t do it all at once. Before I was even healed, I got back on my bike and rode around even if it was just for a minute or two. Every day I did this, extending the time as I got more comfortable, breaking down that crippling fear that had presented itself after the crash. With each small ride I became more and more confident, pushing what I felt comfortable doing. After a few weeks I was ready to go back to the place where I crashed, but not yet ready to ride it. I took it slow, riding the parts of the trail I felt comfortable in and walking the rest, including the spot where I crashed. Across several days those spots where I felt comfortable grew until the only uncomfortable spot was the spot I crashed. A final burst of confidence and I was done, I had returned to the place I was before, overcoming the fear preventing me from doing something I enjoyed. While that fear still lingers, it no longer stands in my way.

 

You can overcome your fears by breaking it down into small steps

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