I Want to Ride My Bicycle

 Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, who gives Donald Trump a run for his money in the hair-do department, just launched this new bicycle hire scheme. It's really quite cool actually!  Currently it's not yet available to the general public but should be by the end of the month, but here is what it is...you can rent a bike in London for as little as £1 for the day.  All you do is (if you are a member, I'm not) go to one of the multiple docking stations all over Central London, put in your "key" and one of the bicycles will be unlocked for your usage.  Then when you are finished you return the bike back to any docking station...it's that easy!

Docking Station

So why am I not a part of this Barclays Cycle Hire Scheme you may ask? Because I am afraid to ride a bike!  I have known how to ride a bike since I was probably 5 or 6. I learned on a bike with 1 good tire and 1 almost flat tire and once I got good at it my parents bought me a gorgeous blue and white bicycle with a banana seat, basket and a bell.  I would ride that bike up and down the street and all over my grandparents driveway, I loved it.  Its what we did as kids.  One time I was riding my brother's bike that had no brakes and I lost control of the bike and wiped out on the street scraping my cheek on the pavement, but I still continued to ride.  Then there was the time I rode my beautiful new bike into a car parked at the end of my grandparents driveway and I broke my wrist (for the 3rd time) and that was when I wanted to hang up my handle bars and not ride again. But being a kid, you are fearless and I got back on my bike and continued to ride it.  Although once I became a teenager bike riding was out of the question, I had more important things to do, like hang out at the mall.  

Now, here I am at 32 and I couldn't tell you the last time I was on a bicycle (that isn't one of the stationary ones at the gym) but I want so badly to be able to rent one of those Barclays bikes and ride it around London.  Well, ok, I probably wont be taking to the streets on one, but I could ride in any of the numerous parks here in London.  But I am scared!  I was living in New York for just over a month when I ended up in the emergency room with a severely sprained ankle, Lord knows what would happen to me here!  Granted the incident in New York was due to excessive amounts of alcohol and a bathroom that had stairs coming out of it, who puts stairs in a bathroom...in a club?!?! Anyway, I digress, here I am brave enough to pack up my life and move 3500 miles away from all I know and love, but I'm too afraid to ride a bike?!  I think I need to change this! Just pray I don't end up in St. Mary's Hospital or something...eek!

Maybe someday soon this will be me!