Ignorance In Action

Part of my daily drive is passing a church reader board. It always catches my eye with it's inspirational messages - quite clever ones at that. The latest reads:" There's nothing more terrifying than ignorance in action."

Boy do I know and can thoroughly relate.

Just recently, like two weeks ago, I attempted to ride a bike with toe clips. The kind that takes those special shoes which clips into a small little nub like peddles. 

The story begins with the husband being asked to lead a bike ride for a group of people that were camping over Labor Day Weekend.

He accepted and asked if I would like to come along. I pondered this invitation very carefully. Nothing is easy when riding with the husband - he is a skilled rider on all types of terrain and I fear I'm not up to his category of riding.

Then my thoughts went back to the group he would be leading and felt I would be in their category of riding so I accepted his invitation. He could ride up front and I could hang back and chit chat with the other riders. The trail was flat and not technical, right up my ally.

The technical part was riding the bike with toe clips so I practiced the night before - clipping in, clipping out, clipping in, clipping out - Ok I got this.

Not really, I took two good falls in our driveway - the trick is unclipping before you stop. Non the less, I was determined to follow through.

Saturday came - we loaded the bikes and found our group. Not long into the ride I took my first good fall. I was following the husband, riding behind his bike trailer, when he stopped short.  I over braked and my rear tire flipped into the air. Being clipped in I flipped with the bike landing on my left side.

The second fall I endured was after the group stopped for a brief gathering. I thought I was being smart by unclipping my right foot - I would have been fine had I not fallen, once again, on my left side.

I'm ok really, just a little bruised and banged up but when I was vying for some sympathy from my son and his friend ( who are also bike riders) showing them my bruises and telling them the woes of my experience, they just chuckled and said it's all part of the initiation.

Obviously I was talking to the wrong crowd if I was looking for sympathy - Lesson learned, the reader board is right - One should be 'terrified of ignorance in action.'