Consider two unrelated terms:
Two words that have nothing to do with each other.
The term, “bicycle,” or “bike,” conjures images of family outings—leisurely rides in the neighborhood or on country roads. Beautiful fall trees, cool breezes, and laughing.
When I think of the word “mountain,” I envision looking up with awe and inspiration. Colorado comes to mind. Snowy peaks. “Rocky Mountain High” and cool clean rivers. I want to go there.
But put these words together—mountain bike—and the mood changes altogether. What was awe and inspiring becomes “aw” and just perspiring.
And laughing becomes a wholly different sound.
My first mountain-biking adventure occurred on a Labor Day. Several random phrases came to mind during the experience.
I learned that biking in loose sand is like riding a stationary bike. But only for a moment. Then it isn’t stationary. You fall sideways.
As my wife and daughter and I stopped to catch our breaths, we decided to let another biker pass us on the trail because he was coming fast—clearly more experienced. And to him, we were noticeably much less experienced.
“You guys picked the hardest trail to ride on”—a nice phrase he tossed our direction as he blew by. Standing in his dust, I realized his statement implied several facts:
But sometimes this is what quality family time requires.
(I wonder if we can mountain bike in Israel?)
Picture courtesy of Phil Moore and Wikimedia.
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BI·CY·CLE. noun: 1. A vehicle consisting of a light frame mounted on two wire-spoked wheels one behind the other and having a seat, handlebars for steering, brakes, and two pedals.
MOUN·TAIN. noun: 1. A natural elevation of the earth's surface having considerable mass, generally steep sides, and a height greater than that of a hill.
The term, “bicycle,” or “bike,” conjures images of family outings—leisurely rides in the neighborhood or on country roads. Beautiful fall trees, cool breezes, and laughing.
When I think of the word “mountain,” I envision looking up with awe and inspiration. Colorado comes to mind. Snowy peaks. “Rocky Mountain High” and cool clean rivers. I want to go there.
But put these words together—mountain bike—and the mood changes altogether. What was awe and inspiring becomes “aw” and just perspiring.
And laughing becomes a wholly different sound.
My first mountain-biking adventure occurred on a Labor Day. Several random phrases came to mind during the experience.
“Yeah! Oh, this is great!”
“Dear God! Help me! Oh no, NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!”
“George, George, George of the Jungle—look out for that . . .” SMACK!
I learned that biking in loose sand is like riding a stationary bike. But only for a moment. Then it isn’t stationary. You fall sideways.
As my wife and daughter and I stopped to catch our breaths, we decided to let another biker pass us on the trail because he was coming fast—clearly more experienced. And to him, we were noticeably much less experienced.
“You guys picked the hardest trail to ride on”—a nice phrase he tossed our direction as he blew by. Standing in his dust, I realized his statement implied several facts:
- You don’t know what you’re doing.
- You’re obviously novices at this.
- I am much better than you.
- The fact that you’re standing on the hardest trail proves the first three points.
But sometimes this is what quality family time requires.
(I wonder if we can mountain bike in Israel?)
Picture courtesy of Phil Moore and Wikimedia.
_____
2 comments:
You can. Mountain biking in Israel is very popular.
Thanks, QuietusLeo. I hope we can do that someday.
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