Bicycle!

Thinking about kids learning to ride bikes.

I can almost remember how scary that could be. I didn't know much about physics at the age of seven, but even then I knew that balancing on two thin wheels and high speeds were a recipe for disaster. Sure enough, there plenty of skinned knees that summer. I know I probably gave up a few times. So much wobbling without those training wheels.

As an adult now, if I ever saw a little kid pedaling awkwardly on the sidewalk, falling over. I would want nothing more than to say to them, "don't worry, you'll get it."

Alcoholics are kids learning to ride a bike. We start and we think what we're trying to do is impossible. We see older kids doing wheelies and feel sad because we can barely make it a block without having to catch ourselves from a spill. And sometimes we spill, we get banged up with skinned knees and tears.

We'd never dream of telling a child that if riding a bike is hard at first that they should give up. We wouldn't call a fall a failure. So who is our "adult"? Who is our parent cheering us on?

However you answer that question that's your higher power. Don't ever let that voice stray from your ears.