A couple of weeks ago, Doug and I went on a bike ride with friends. We ended our ride with lunch at an outdoor cafe in Hopewell. After lunch, our friends headed out as we were still sorting out our bikes. I was about to pull out into the street when I saw a woman on a bike traveling at a decent speed, so I decided to wait for her to pass, when the unthinkable happened. Her bike stopped as if she hit a pothole or something similar, and she was violently launched from her bike to the street onto her head/face. 

Doug and I ran over to her to try and help, as did some of the patrons from the cafe. Fortunately, she was wearing a helmet, which I am rather certain saved her life, and left her with just some big scratches on her face. As we sat with her, waiting for the ambulance, Doug looked at her bike and said, “Well, here’s what happened!” Somehow she had run over this large metal bracket exactly where there was a small opening and when the bracket got to the frame, the bike stopped instantly. The odds of this happening have to be astronomical. 

Having watched this whole scene play out made me terrified to get back on my bike. Why is it that we latch onto the most frightening or unlikely things and let that determine how we proceed in life? Her odds of running into that bracket had to be 1,000,000 to 1 or more. Her odds of having a beautiful and safe bike ride on a gorgeous sunny day had to be a heck of a lot better. Look, stuff happens, I get that, but if we base all of our decisions on the 1,000,000 to 1 things, I believe we live a small life. So today, we are getting back on the bike, so to speak. Whatever is holding you back, think about the likelihood of that happening. Don’t live small—what’s the fun in that?

With Gratitude,
Beth

PS Please remember that fear LOVES time. The more time we give it, the greater the odds are of fear winning. Action snuffs out fear. Fear is powerful, but so is action.