I decided today was the day I’d break my bike in for the summer.
I maneuvered it out from the back of my garage, dusted it off, filled the tires with air, cleaned off the ol’ helmet, packed my lock, and off I went.
…I didn’t make it but 10 houses down the street when my rear tire went flat.
Now, what this moment represents is one of those ever-so-present fork-in-the-road moments where you’re given a choice.
A) Swear, kick, fuss, scream, and temper tantrum until a dark cloud forms over your head.
B) Use it as an opportunity to finally learn how to change the inner tube on your road bike.
We’re given choices like these, dare I say, by the hundreds every week.
What many of us don’t realize is that by changing our choice to something like “B” more often, not only might we eliminate the dark cloud from forming, but we build a skill or new level of resilience that mitigates the same type of situation from happening again in the future.
I, for example, plan on keeping a back-up tube with me as I ride from now on. And the prospect of having to set aside hours of time and chunks of money to get my flat tire fixed by a professional, is a path that is quickly fading from any future forks in my road.
I’ll soon be able to do it myself.
…Which means less forks and more knife paths for me.
I like knife paths.