Recently a project got me digging in the depths of the Bouncing Back archives. It’s dusty in there!
Hard to believe I’ve accumulated more than 1,000 posts in nearly five years, and that doesn’t include the stuff here at RICH’S RIDE. As I looked through those old articles it seemed there might be some ideas worth revisiting.
So I’m going to do that—not merely copying, but hopefully adding a little along the way. I’m also going to double-post a few of these re-worked articles on both blogs when it seems appropriate.
These thoughts on diversity first appeared on September 19, 2009.
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There are unexpected depths in human beings, and abilities beyond the world’s imagining. We all ride the same road, and if we ride it together, we can get where we want to go. Charles Kuralt
You can learn a lot on a bike trail.
The way the other folks choose to travel mostly doesn’t impact your ride. If you work hard and make good decisions, things generally go pretty well.
Sharing the trail means occasionally yielding or slowing down. Crashes happen if everyone insists on always getting their own way.
A skinned knee is a big price to pay for being right.
Sometimes you encounter a problem. When that happens, it’s nice to have other folks stop and help. Remember that when you see someone else struggling.
Diversity is part of the attraction of the trail. If everyone rode the same bike or walked the same speed it wouldn’t be as interesting.
There’s not much point in telling others how they should ride, unless they ask.
Just because someone else travels differently doesn’t make them, or you, wrong. There are lots of ways to move along the trail.
It doesn’t make much sense to compare. There’s no such thing as “best” or even “normal.” Everyone’s got their own reason for being there. Some are working out, some are socializing, and some are just enjoying the scenery.
Kids—and those who act like kids—seem to have the most fun. There must be something to learn from that.
Old or young, fast or slow, bike, rollerblade, walk, or wheelchair, we all travel the same road.
Things might be smoother if we learned to appreciate the folks with whom we share the trail.
When Jesus called little children to Him, he didn’t say only rich children, or children with two-parent families, or children who didn’t have a mental or physical handicap.
But Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. (Luke 18:16)
What’s your observation about the diversity you encounter on the trail?
Please leave a comment here.
