Easy...Like Riding a Bike

You know those people who are just naturally good at whatever they do? The ones that are really good at a sport they've never even tried? Or can solve math problems that make your head hurt?

I am not one of those people.

I'm good at: writing (obviiiii), making people laugh, and watching TV. This is the extent of my natural ability. That's a lie. I'm also good at procrastinating, complaining, and eating. I digress.....

I am not good at a lot of things. I cannot handle stress. I have horrible balance. I'm short. I'm highly uncoordinated. Do you see where this is going? Riding a bike is not easy.

So because Metro is undergoing some serious maintenance for the next year (because they are a completely incompetent and corrupt transit system but that's a blog post for another day) I have resorted to biking into work. It's only 4 miles. "It's not that bad," I said. "It'll be fun," I said.

Today was day one.

First off, I borrowed this bike from my sister who is like 5 inches taller than me. Wait, let's go back - do bikes even come in sizes? Can I get a petite? I need a petite over here. Anyways, my feet don't touch the ground. I can barely stand on my tip toes on this thing and that's only if I lean the bike to one side.

It's also a Huffy. Okay, it's not actually a Huffy. I think the brand is Avalanche or something. Which may or may not be worse than Huffy because at least I've heard of Huffy. Regardless, this isn't a road bike for commuting. It's a huge piece of metal that will probably one day be my death trap. Honestly, I'm surprised I can stay upright. Which I actually can't. 

I fell over like 4 times today and every single time I was surrounded by people. Once was on M St. in the middle of Georgetown. If you don't know what that means, go to your nearest outdoor mall and imagine it being filled with rush hour traffic. Then fall over on a bike.

Getting to work was easy as far as actual physical exertion is concerned. It was basically all downhill. Getting home was almost impossible. There's a 260 ft elevation within the distance of one mile. Uhmm...how do you even bike up that without falling backwards? My thighs are still burning. And I could cry thinking about having to do it again.

How I managed to not get hit by a bus or a taxi or someone else on a bike I will never know. But I'm sure that day will soon be upon me.

Because this will be my main transportation for the next year.

All I can say is I better be in the best shape of my life when this is all over.