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Do you remember learning to ride a bike? Most of us learned when we were 5, 6, or 7 years old, and once we learned, the job was done and we pedaled away from the memory and the training wheels. But if you try, you can think back and remember that glorious feeling that came with shaky balance and the knowledge that you'd graduated into the league of the big kids.

Start with the way the bike looked. Surely you remember the color of your first bike - the one that began with training wheels, but which your mom or dad removed so you could learn to balance. Was the bike blue, red, yellow? Did it have any special features such as a banana seat, funky handlebars or sparkly paint (can you tell I grew up in the 70s?) Think about where you rode. Did you learn on a paved road, a gravel road, a side walk or a grassy park? Were you near a busy street or on a dead-end road? Were there friends around, were you alone, or was it just you and your dad? Did you feel fear, excitement, exhilaration? Think back and remember.

Next think about the weather that day. Had you gotten the new bike for Christmas and were learning during the cold winter months? Was there a bit of snow on the ground to make for more treacherous riding, but a softer fall? Were you bundled up in a coat, hat and mittens? I don't know about you, but I never wore a helmet. Helmets in those days were for motorcyclists and football players only. Did you learn to ride your bike in the summer months when everyone was home from school and the neighborhood filled with children? Did you roll through crackly fall leaves? Try to remember if the sun was shining or if the clouds were covering the sky.

Do you know exactly how old you were when you learned to ride a bike and do you remember being that age? Was it a happy time in life - carefree and sunny - or were you beat down by difficulties at home; a divorce, a death in the family, a move away from friends? Perhaps the bicycle was a way of escape; you could ride swiftly down the road near your home, the breeze in your face, things at home left far behind - even if they were really only a block away. You could imagine pedaling off to another land, a land where you were grown up and in charge. Perhaps you even brought a snack and sat on the road side for a while, pretending you were terribly far away.

Childhood fades away so quickly. After we learn to ride a bike, we bike without thinking about it - we use it as transportation until we're old enough to drive a car, and then a bike is stuck in the garage, only to be used on weekends or for the occasional lark. Perhaps we need to revisit the past and enjoy ourselves like children again.