Day 7 of #40Days - Center of attention.

I was pretty rough on bikes.  Jumping ramps.  Popping wheelies.  Doing any stunt I could dream up.  It wasn't unusual for something to break.  With no dad in the house, I taught myself to work on them.  I took apart the rear wheel and learned that coaster brakes have a lot of parts inside.  Putting them back together proved to be a challenge.

It was common for handle bars to give out.  After tightening and re-tightening, I might find myself with handle bars that wobbled as I rode.  There was a pile of old bikes behind the storage shed in the back yard.  It was a junk yard of sorts for bicycles.  Usually, I could find about any spare part needed to make a repair.  Not this time.

I found this example on the Internet.

I had been through all the handle bars in the junk yard.  The set on my bike was absolutely useless.  So I thought up a solution.  I would try to use the bike without any handle bars.  Since I was pretty good at riding with no hands, maybe I could do the no hands stunt with no handle bars.

And it worked.  I would start by reaching down and holding the forks to get started.  After my momentum was up, I could let go and sit up straight while pedalling.  With a little more practice, I was able to start with no hands, too.

I rode the bike to school without handle bars.  When everybody noticed what I was doing, they acted like I was crazy.  I loved the attention.  Everywhere I went on the bike with no handlebars, people said something. 

It became about performing.  I wanted to be the center of attention.  It took me a lot of years to realize that.  I still like being the center of attention.  Who can resist a good pat on the back, right? 

Proverbs 16:18

First pride, then the crash—

the bigger the ego, the harder the fall.

God bless,
Dadofmykids.

PS.  This is post #7 of 40.  Learn more here.