Cycling again! Overcoming my uncertainty and trepidation!

You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience

in which you really stop to look fear in the face.

You are able to say to yourself -

'I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.'    

~ Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962)

After my cycling accident in May, I wasn't sure I would ever get on a bike again. The crash resulted in a nasty concussion, a broken collarbone, and a lot of bruises! I have no memory of the fall, being in an ambulance, or the first few hours of being in the emergency room.

Suffering from vertigo for many months and with very limited movement - and a lot of pain - in my upper left arm, I was quite discouraged and downhearted. I also had to come to terms with the diagnosis of a heart arrhythmia, which caused an episode of syncope (fainting) resulting in a hard fall onto the pavement.

Trepidation: a feeling of fear or anxiety about something that may happen; a loss of courage

I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. 

The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear. 

~ Nelson Mandela (1918-2013)

I determined to be a brave woman who conquers my fear and renews my courage!

And so it was, that I invited Masudi to join me for a bike ride at Karua Forest. I felt it was prudent to have someone with me... just in case of any mishaps. Additionally, the forest was a safe place as there's no vehicle traffic on the paths.

I'm telling you - - it felt absolutely wonderful to be back in the saddle again! There was no fear whatsoever in my heart or mind! I looked fear in the face and gained confidence with the first rotation of the pedals.

We both thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, and stopped a few times to do some hiking and GeoCaching. We laughed as we watched this pretty caterpillar crawling across a path with small stones. Just like me, it demonstrated an attitude of - "I think I can, I think I can!"

We also tried out River Café for lunch, a rather fancy restaurant inside the forest.

It is not so much for its beauty that the forest makes a claim upon men's hearts,

as for that subtle something, that quality of air that emanates from old trees,

that so wonderfully changes and renews a weary spirit. 

~ Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894)

Having fun with an antique phone booth in downtown Nairobi

Don’t set your goals by what other people deem important, Only you know what is best for you.

Don’t be afraid to encounter risks, It is by taking chances that we learn how to be brave.

~ excerpts from A Creed to Live By, author unknown