Life Lessons From Mountain Biking- "Want Me To Tow You In?"

About a year ago, my love introduced me to the world of mountain bike riding. He was an expert rider, and I hadn't ridden a bike in probably 15 years. When he offered to take me riding with him, I really didn't have any expectations for the experience other than it being another adventure and memory making opportunity for us.

The trail beat me up pretty good on my first ride, but I was still hooked right away. The exercise component combined with the challenges of the trail (while surrounded by beautiful scenery) definitely proved to be food for my soul. 

Despite my confidence and athleticism, mountain biking wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. Conquering the trails doesn't come easy- there are many skills and lessons that must be learned along the way in order to make it from start to finish with minimal battle scars. The more times I rode my mountain bike, the clearer it became that the lessons and skills I was learning along the way were applicable to more than just mountain biking. These lessons could be applied to life as well. Each week, I will be sharing some of the life lessons I've taken with me so far from my time on the trails.

This week's takeaway and life lesson from my mountain bike adventures: Trusting the Tow

"Want me to tow you in?" My love frequently would ask me when we would come to a place on the trail that had been proven difficult for me. This meant he would go first, outlining the path of least resistance for me, and all I would need to do was follow along behind him- having faith in both him and my bike to not let me down. Each time he "towed me in" I was more successful than I had ever been on my own and was able to ultimately accomplish obstacles I never thought I was capable of accomplishing.

Choose wisely who you decide to follow. Not all paths lead to the same destination. "Follow the leader" only works when it's someone that you can trust to lead you down the path knowing they have your best interest in mind and not just their own. Had I submitted to "following" someone who I didn't know that I could trust, someone who hadn't proven with time to know my comfort or skill level, someone who chose to "tow me in" the more dangerous way at my expense (because it would have been the more fun way for him) I could have ended up with some pretty brutal battle scars.

Pick a love that you can trust. When being "towed in" it's only in moments of pure trust that you can fully commit to the path your partner is leading you down and then ultimately conquer the obstacle ahead. This is why in life it is so important to choose your partner wisely. I feel blessed that the man I had leading me through the areas of uncertainty on the trail was someone who was a better rider than me and had successfully navigated those same difficult spots multiple times before. I'm even more blessed that it was someone I could trust to never put me in a dangerous situation that I wouldn't have been able to navigate. Choose wisely to prevent unnecessary hurt.

Ask for help when you need it. In life and on the trail, don't be too proud to let your loved ones "tow you in" from time to time. You may find that you can accomplish more than you could alone with someone who you love and trust helping to steer you in the right direction when the road ahead proves to be difficult. Take in the advice given to you by those who wholeheartedly love you and want to see you successfully navigate the trail. Sometimes even the bravest of souls panic at the seemingly unsurpassable mountain ahead, but with some guidance we can find ourselves smiling on the other side thinking to ourselves "That really wasn't as bad as I made it out to be..." 

Don't have a know-it-all mentality. The path my love would sometimes lead me down wasn't the path I would have chosen, but because I trusted that he knew me and had my best interest at heart, I was ultimately able to conquer sections of the trail I wouldn't have probably otherwise even attempted. Trust that sometimes others might see something more clearly than you from where they stand and be open to seeing things from their point of view. I became a better rider because when my love asked me to "follow his lead" by "towing me in" I was able to open up and see the path from his viewpoint as opposed to mine. We won't always pick the right path the first time, but we can grow, learn from the experiences of ourselves and others, and try again the next lap.

In summary: Oftentimes, you'll find that a little help and guidance when the trail gets difficult turns what would have been a battle scar moment into a giant smile of accomplishment. Find you a love that you can trust to "tow you in" when the trail ahead seems unsurpassable. Let the partner you choose to ride the trail of life with be someone who opens your eyes to different perspectives. Cherish those who love you enough to help safely guide you to the other side of whatever mountain you are currently facing so that you don't have to face the trail alone. 

Sending lots of LOVE and well wishes from North Carolina to you!