It’s thorn season in Colorado. It’s a time when these nasty little thorny thingys (that’s technical cyclist terminology) become especially dry and brittle. Thorn season is characterized by an increase in the number of upside-down bicycles beside roads and trails.
There’s one thing cycling and life have in common: flat tires happen to everybody.
Sometimes it’s your fault, because you rode somewhere you shouldn’t have, maybe through some broken glass or roadside debris. Perhaps you weren’t paying attention or you thought you could get away with it “just this once.”
That happens in life as well. You find yourself in some situation you shouldn’t be in, and you knew better. Perhaps you weren’t paying attention or you thought you could get away with it “just this once.”
Sometimes it’s not your fault at all. You did everything right, as far as you can tell, and the stupid tire’s flat anyway. Maybe you’ll figure out why, maybe you won’t.
Happens in life, too. Nobody ever said it would be fair.
Flat tires—and adversity in general—don’t seem to be equally spaced. I can ride for weeks without a flat, and then have six in five days (as I have recently). Some of that’s about thorn season, some is just the way life works. It doesn’t mean God’s picking on me or I’m a bad person. Stuff—and flat tires—happens.
Here’s what I know for sure. When you get a flat, you’re not going anywhere until you fix it. Yes, it’s good to figure out the cause, if possible, and learn from your mistake. But there’s not much point in lamenting the fact that you got a flat.
You can complain. You can get angry. You can cry, kick the bike, blame the mechanic, or yell at God. I’ve tried all of those, and I can tell you none of them does one bit of good.
In cycling, as in life, only one thing matters. Whatever happens, you have to keep going. Nothing good happens while you’re sitting in the ditch.
And to move forward, you gotta fix the flat. How or why it happened doesn’t really matter. You have to get back on the bike.
What’s a “thorn season” you’ve encountered in life?
Next time I’ll tell you something interesting I learned from my recent string of flat tires.
Please leave a comment here.
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Hi Rich. I have had my share of “flats”, on the bike and in life. I now use “Stan’s” to make my tires “flat free”. Still searching for the product that make my life”flat free”. Until it is invented, I will stay with the trusty product called “Grace”. It doesn’t prevent flats, but it is pretty good at getting me up and riding and living again.