My Bicycle – Essay 1
While growing up, we learn many things. One such extraordinary journey of our childhood memory is of learning – how to ride a bicycle. No doubt, if you are a younger sibling, you will be getting the used cycle of your elder one. And if you are unlucky in marks and also the elder or only kid of your parents, you will have to rise on their expectations.
So, I am in my adolescent phase of life now. But my childhood has been the greatest of all till the date. I have an elder sister who was not much interested in bicycling. But I was desperately pressurising my parents to get me the same. Luckily, the neighbour in my society got his new bicycle and rendered me the old one. My father got bought it from him at a flexible price.
The learning phase of my bicycle ride
You know, the excitement level is explainable for any new machine you are about to use –for the very first time in your life. I got my bicycle. Now, the point was –who will teach me? Not everybody gets free service. This lesson, I learned in my early teenage years. Dad said: I can’t train you myself because of the time limit. But I have hired the same neighbour kid to teach you ideally within a month. Be confident. Enjoy while you learn! And never keep any question to yourself. Ask that brother, every doubt you have. And do let me know if he misbehaves or mistreats you.
For a child with not so large brain capacity, I did not understand the meaning of “Hired” word, which I have learnt now. In ancient days, there was a barter system, i.e., a coincidence of want. But in the modern era, every service and product value is measured in terms of money. Therefore, my dad paid my neighbour –the right amount of money to teach me well.
I was very much keen to learn. So, I got up early morning. I was very excited. I somehow managed to drag the cycle in the backyard lawn of the society. Oh! God, the bicycle was very heavy. But the excitement was above it. From there on, my training began. The cycle was a bit big for me. Therefore, my brother helped me to sit on the cycle and adjust both the leg above the paddle. First, he said: – I am holding you from the back. You won’t fall. Just consider paddling the two rectangular machine-like kit below. I did what he told me to do. I was a fast learning child. So, I did quite well with the paddling session. The next day, he showed me the move of the handles – how to take on left/ right/center at the appropriate measure. I passionately nodded yes! It was indeed a great journey.
The real learning phase
While looking up to the flashbacks of yesterday, I feel calm, and a significant smile is there on my face. It was not just about a bicycle learning phase of my life. If looked upon a more profound breakthrough, there was more to it.
As being very brilliant at the sports in school, I was always eager to learn things too quickly. I also managed to practice the same stuff in my leisure time. My family friends and their parents would always compliment my learning spirits.
Therefore, there was no frustration or shouting from the neighbor kid, who was my mentor those days. Even he used to enjoy my company during those hours. I had no idea when I successfully ahead with my bicycle all by myself. I completed around half of the distance in a straight line. Suddenly, a bee came in front of me and started dancing with its murmur sounds. In the act of hitting it away, I left my right hand from the handle, and the next thing I remember was –falling on the ground.
The first fall
It was more of a shocking thing to notice rather than surprising. I saw that elder brother –he was laughing at me. I got up and cleaned my back body, and rushed to him in anger. Why are you laughing at my fall? To this, he continued his laughter a few more seconds before answering my question.
See, little darling was laughing because you fell. You know, everybody has their first fall while riding their bicycle for the very first time. So, I confused in total asked him –So, that has to end with laughter. It’s also the trend or part of growing up, right?
I was much more of a questioning as well as a curious child. To this, he soberly made me understand. We all have our first fall in our life. Be it, a bicycle ride, a motorcycle ride, a car ride. And each phase has a different method of falling. Only the difference is, you fall off these vehicles, and your injuries are physical and can be cured. But later in life, you will be falling many times, and arising from the same. Those injuries were invisible, remains to you only, nobody will laugh on your face, but secretly at your back. That fall will be affecting your mental life balancing too. So, you must learn to laugh at yourself from the very start. So, that you can stand smiling if life laughs harder on you. You can strongly challenge those life hurdles.
Being at the early stage of my learning journey, I hardly understood his points. I asked my parents with all the broken words and memories of what he said and what he meant. He never explained to me deeply. Now I understood what he meant.
Childhood learning is such an innocent and fabulous memory. You can only relive when you teach the same to a younger one.
I was curious and annoyed with somebody else laughing at my situation. That very brother complimented me. He made me understood the simple fact. There is a first fall of the bicycling ride of everybody whenever they learn. But all had their ways of falling story, very different.
He further said: You quickly managed to run the bicycle on your own without falling. I was skeptical. I said: it’s! It is fine. You do not have to lie to me, just to make me smile. I am learning, and one day I will be perfect at it.
To this, he said: No, not all. I am not lying or boasting about your caliber just because I am getting paid for it. When I left you all by yourself from behind, I was a bit scared. If you fall and get yourself hurt, my first teaching experience would be worst.
But to my cynical sense, you outbound my thinking. You changed my thinking pattern. You were so much passionate about your learning journey. You hardly noticed my touch on your back –vanishing slowly.
My bicycle, a great lesson
In life, whatever we do – we must educate ourselves; know it, be practical at the core. Mugging up is never a solution to any problem. A replica of reflex action is ultimately seen in every field. He pointed out the directions I covered. He said I am very proud of you. I am not feeling proud because I taught you. I am feeling happy and proud because you made me realize nothing is impossible. If there are any uncertainty of darkened days, there can be the unsure results of rising hopes. You fell because of the bee on your way. But you managed to shock me with trying to balance in the midway. It was the lessons. I was about to teach you after 3 days.
My Bicycle – Essay 2
My bicycle had always been a great source of inspiration, and was the most beautiful part of my childhood as well as teenage. The learning phase is the best phase of life, which not only makes you to learn how to ride a bicycle, but helps to understand many new chapters of life.
The brand new second hand bicycle, used by the elder sibling is the trend in Indian families, similar is the trend in my family. The very first cycle of my life was ‘Hercules Bravo’, which was at first used by my elder brother.
The another fashion was; that it was promised that if my brother would get those 98% in his high school then he will get that bicycle of his choice, so my elder brother could manage to get that, cool brand new bicycle, but since was the younger sibling could only manage to get, the one used by the elder one. Therefore’ a cycle is a ‘Mehnnat ka fal’ which most of us get for the very first time in life.
The learning phase of my bicycle
Learning a cycle was one of the biggest fear of my life, I always had to request somebody to teach me how to ride a bicycle, either my brother, my father or anybody whom I found capable enough to teach me, I still remember every time I went to learn with my brother we would always fight, and my brother would say you can never ride a bicycle, and on the way more than learning a bicycle, I would focus on how to get my brother scolded by my father.
Those were the sweetest days, which I believe would never come back in my life again. But the fight was necessary with the brother as he was always regretting, that he is totally wasting his time teaching me how to ride a bicycle, since forced by my father, instead he would have gone out to play with his friends.
My brother had been a great teacher all through my life be it teaching how ride a bicycle, how to drive a car or how to lead a life he always have been the best supportive hero of my life. Every day my eagerness and excitement for evening raised, as in the evening I would go out with my brother to learn my bicycle, but the excitement would melt down like the wax of a candle. As the phase was yet to be a hit.
The real learning phase
Well, it gives me great pleasure to describe the real learning phase of my cycle. The blue red cycle, handle like an ear of the elephant, seems too high to hold or too tough to ride. The most difficult part of learning a cycle is maintaining the balance which is further too scary.
Finally the day came when I managed to learn how to ride my cycle. It was my uncle who took this very initiative. He asked me to sit on the cycle and told me that he is holding at back.
And asked me not to look at the back and I trusting him that he is still holding at the back, but actually he was not, and the amazing fact was I knew that he is not holding back and I am riding a cycle, and uncle standing at same place and saying that ‘yes I am holding, go on’ and I am shouting ‘uncle please keep holding’; was something which helped me learn my cycle.
After that for next 10 days I didn’t looked for it was day or night, I kept on riding it all through Old Willingdon Camp, Race Cource. Always wait, if mummy wants something from the shop. When very eagerly going to the shop, eagerly waiting for the evening, so that can go out for cycling.
They were the most innocent days spent by me. The most amazing time spent in my childhood which I know would never come back, but thinking about them is in itself is a great a fun.
The first fall
Without a fall, learning a bicycle is never complete, so therefore like everybody else the first fall was even more interesting, I in my tomboy look riding my bicycle in my own flayer, a speed breaker came in my way and had a great fall, meanwhile a women came asked me, “beta gir gaya kya, lagi kya”, I was embarrassed enough and said no, and the women was like, “to beta ek bar or gir” and everybody broke into laughter.
My bicycle, a great lesson
My cycle had been a great inspiration of life, firstly how to value things in life, the way I developed the love and attachment even to the second hand cycle, it is very important to value things in life, only than one knows how much it takes to earn a single penny in life.
Learning my cycle was itself a great dream than, and never I never, lose hope that; I won’t be able to ride a bicycle, and yes it was the step towards being independent. Be it going for tuition classes or to the stationary or helping mother at home. A self confidence that there is nothing we can’t do in life, though there will be many hurdles in life, but we need to cross them and achieve our small yet beautiful dreams.
My cycle will always be very close to my heart as it was my first step towards in dependency. And one my sweetest memory of my childhood with my brother. Today after my marriage still when I go back home look towards the store I find many things of my childhood kept safely by my parents in order capture our childhood memories.
And when I look towards my cycle it gives me a broad smile on face, and makes me remember of those beautiful memories. Lastly, I would like to say that a cycle is a machine whose engine is human being and hence I love my cycle it gave me great rides of life.
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