Getting Back on that Bike

How many times in your life have you been told to just get back up and try again? For some people, it’s a no-brainer – you pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and try, try again. But for others, it can be challenging – whatever happened can be tied to a bad memory, an injury, or an unpleasant experience.

For Capital Region real estate investor Jeff Buell, it was a scary fall that kept him off of a bicycle for the better part of two decades. He recently recalled this incident on his Facebook page Do the Next Good Thing. On this page, Jeff shares stories – whether they’re his own personal stories or ones that come from the people he encounters on a daily basis. They’re very well written and I’d highly encourage you to check them out.

It was the bike story that caught my attention because he mentioned CDPHP Cycle! – the Capital Region’s first bike-share program, sponsored by CDPHP and driven by CDTA. Jeff had been asked by a friend to try riding again, telling him it was “good for the soul.” He turned down the suggestion, but it bothered him all week.

The following Sunday he decided to give it a try. He downloaded the CDPHP Cycle! app, located a station, punched in his PIN, and voila – he had a bike.

Describing the outset of his ride, Jeff commented, “Shaking and wobbling for the first few blocks, I figured out how to shift gears and brake, really the two most important things in life – when do I go faster and how do I stop?”

He rode five miles that day, even stopping to give someone directions. He concluded, “I decided to tell you this story on a Monday for one reason… we all have something. We all have that one thing that nags at us, that we won’t do because we have psyched ourselves out about the monster lurking around the corner.”

So, Jeff got back on the bike. He finally stopped letting his fear control him.

What will you do?