Tandeming Through Fallen Chains

The season has turned, the flowers have bloomed, and the air is finally warm. It's been perfect weather for riding a tandem bike. So the other day my boyfriend thought it would be a great idea to take the tandem on a longer ride on Hill road (a road that a lot of Boise cyclists ride). Of course it was a great idea and I was excited for the adventure! We were ready to be legit tandem(ers) (Yes, that's right, I just said tandemers). So we hit the road with our vintage, blue tandem.

Can I just say that we looked good! I think we even got a few hoops and hollers from motorists and pedestrians. There is just something about two people on one bike that puts a smile on spectators' faces. The first few miles were beautiful! We rode free and clear. Nothing was going to stop us! Wind in our hair. Fresh air on our faces. Freedom on the bike!

And then the chain fell off. Awesome.

We had ridden before where the chain had fallen off so we were not surprised, but seriously? How annoying! Especially after the momentum we had just gained! Thanks to Michael's handy, bike-mechanic skills, he was able to get the chain back on and off we went. 

Wind in our hair. Fresh air on our faces. Speed! Freedom! Laughter!

And then the chain fell off. Again.

We pulled over and I couldn't help but laugh. It seemed impossible for us to get anywhere on the old, rickety tandem. So Michael wrenched on the bike and I sat and laughed.

~ ~ ~ 

To be honest, in the midst of all the fun bike rides, this week has actually been pretty difficult. I kind of feel like my chains in life have completely fallen off and I'm not really sure how to put them back on. My brother moved back to his home town and I lost my job all within 24 hours. The questions of what next... now what... where are you going... what are you doing next....

all thrown on my door step, uninvited. 

Right when I was starting to get traction, momentum, wind in my hair... 

My chains in life fell off. 

~ ~ ~

Michael was able to get the chain back on and again we hit the road. As we rode a little longer, it became pretty obvious what the problem was. Whenever we rush it, went too fast, or hit a bump too hard, the chain fell off. We had to go slow and steady. Once we realized the problem, we got into a groove, "Slow, slow, slow! We don't have to rush! We don't have to push the bike faster than it can handle. Slow and steady! It's a leisurely bike ride," we would remind each other as we started to gain speed. It was pretty clear that the bike was strong enough to handle the ride, we just had to go slow and steady. We couldn't rush it. We couldn't get impatient. We had to take the road at a slow, steady pace. 

The chain stayed on the rest of the ride and we were able to get to our destination, even with some great laughs along the way.

~ ~ ~

And so I remind myself: I've had some set backs. My chain has unexpectedly fallen off, but just as I learned to ride the tandem ~slow and steady~, I can slowly ride my way through questions and life's unexpected bumps and turns. It may be a bumpy road, but if I take it slow and steady, I'll eventually make it to where I'm going... and perhaps I'll even be able to laugh about it.