Member-only story
Steering Past the Barriers
My Story for Mental Health Awareness Month
A few months ago, I started riding my mom’s motorized bike. At first, it scared me because, unlike a regular bicycle, it can go up to 20 miles per hour with just the twist of a gear! You don’t even have to peddle. The bike’s bulky size makes it difficult to do sharp turns. The brakes don’t work well, either. So like driving a car, I have to be super vigilant crossing the roads.
After riding the bike around my neighborhood for awhile, I got used to it. The idea of riding it to local restaurants and stores started to excite me! It gave me something to look forward to on nice days. I could ride the bike to Starbucks in less than 10 minutes and then start working. Bam. My days were planned out. It would be smooth riding.
But last week, an obstacle steered me into anxiety. It was just a 30-minute bike ride to the doctor. It was sunny outside, and it hadn’t rained in over a day. I didn’t see any puddles in my neighborhood. So, falling on my way to the doctor wasn’t on my radar.
Five minutes into my bike ride, the sidewalk between the grass and a creek narrowed. I slowed down to maybe three miles per hour, underestimating the size of the upcoming puddle and my bike. As the wheels sped through the water, my left peddle loosened under my foot. Before I had…