Conquering Fear

 So today I was forced to ride my bike to the studio to teach my morning Zumba class.  Most of you will think I'm a big baby, and I think I really am.  Riding your bike around town is not that bad, right?  Except that it's a weird fear that I've had for a while.  It might be due to that time when I was a young girl, riding my bike home from the swimming pool one summer day (I'm pretty sure my mom made me ride, like, 54 miles to and from the pool!) when my I (stupidly) rode over this big grate on a sidewalk (kind of like this one).

Only it was running in a perpendicular sense so that my front bike tire slipped down in one of those spaces!  It was near a busy intersection, and I'm sure everyone in my hometown saw me, and I was so embarassed! 

 Oh, you're wondering if maybe I got super hurt?  Nope.  Just my pride.

  And that is the dumbest reason ever to have a fear of something.

Fast forward to this morning, and one of our cars wouldn't start.  Since it was blocking "my" car, I wasn't able to drive.  Heavens!  So I grumbled that I would ride my bike, hoping that just by saying that, the car would magically fix itself, rendering my sacrifice unnecessary.

But, alas.  That was not to be, and so I reluctantly strapped on my helmet and set off, calling what would no doubt be my last words of affection to my husband, "If I die, you can marry someone eelllllllsssssse..."

Now, you will understand why I am somewhat justified in my fear of riding my bike around Rochester.  We live at the top of a moun- I mean HUGE HILL!  So I could just picture myself spinning out of control down the hill, hitting a rock (or someone who was hiding in the woods sticking their foot out) and flying head over heels smack onto the concrete sidewalk, scraping up my whole entire body, including my face, breaking all my bones and just generally almost dying.

So I decided just to walk my bike down that hill.

Then I hopped on and rode the rest of the way to the studio.  

And it wasn't scary!

In fact, it was beautiful.  It was marvelous.  It was time outside, away from the computer.  I didn't have to do anything else except move my legs up and down.  

It was a perfect fall morning with a slight breeze.  I got to ride on part of our most awesomest bike trail, past the gurgling falls that is my favorite spot in Rochester.  

I even rode on the street for a while (because that's my other fear - getting killed my a car whose driver is doing something irresponsible like reaching back to comfort their crying baby and doesn't see me and runs smack into me, causing me to fly head over heels smack onto the concrete sidewalk, scraping up my whole entire body, including my face, breaking all my bones and just generally almost dying).

I'm not generally very good at going outside of my comfort zone, so this was sort of a big deal for me, and I'm proud.  

Plus, I've decided that this is a very good look for me:

Do you have any fears, rational or irrational?  Have you ever been forced to overcome your fear?