Lessons learned from motherhood: The tricycle

On Sunday, we went on a walk, because it was sunny and felt warm (about 50 F/10 C, which is warm for this time of year in northern Utah.)  My 5 year old wanted to pedal his trike, rather than walk or ride in the stroller.  He reminded me that he's been practicing and getting better at pedaling and driving (which he has been doing during the slightly warmer weather.)  We were excited to get out and get moving, and his trike isn't so heavy for me to carry it if he gave up, so we let him ride his trike.

 Watching him today, I'm not sure he'll ever be ready to drive when he gets older--he's a crazy little driver!!  As I watched him, tried to prevent him from driving into the road, and attempted to keep my family's ankles and legs safe, I began to notice a metaphor for life.

As long as he kept his eyes on the sidewalk ahead of him (but not too far ahead), he did pretty well.  When he tried to worry about being faster or better than me, my husband, or his siblings, he would frequently glance over his shoulder or look way too far ahead, and he'd go off the sidewalk into the grass (or snow) along the side.  When he tried to pedal faster than normal, (and he normally clips along at a healthy speed, so that's saying something) his feet would slip off the pedals and it would slow him down.  When he tried to be tricky or fancy, he'd veer back and forth across the sidewalk, endangering the ankles of those near him.

I was struck by the importance of keeping on our own path, at our own healthy pace.  As people, sometimes we're so busy trying to "keep up with the Jones's" that we don't pay enough attention to where we're going on our own path.  Sometimes we're so busy trying to go faster and be more perfect than is actually possible for us, and our feet slip off the pedals, and we run over our own feet or run off the road.  In our attempts to be the best, the fanciest, or the trickiest, we sometimes hurt the people nearest us.

He's pretty good at just readjusting, hopping back on and trying again.  He went off the sidewalk many times, and got stopped by snow or grass, then he'd pick up his little trike, put it back in the middle of the sidewalk and try again.

We're going to make a mistake or two (or a LOT) and go off our path, and we'll have to readjust, get back on the path and start again.  Watching my son get back on the path multiple times was the embodiment of this quote by Oliver Goldsmith: "Success consists of getting up just one more time than you fall. " (According to 3 websites, he's the guy who said that.)

Our home is on the highest street in our neighborhood, so in order to get back here, we have a long hill to go up.  It's not terribly steep, but it is a long uphill climb for a little kid on a trike.  In order for him to make it up the hill, back home, I had to give him a few mighty pushes.  For a little while, I carried his trike, and let him walk, because it was just too steep for him, and I knew there was no way he'd be able to do it without me just pushing constantly.  Once the hill leveled off a little, I had him get back on his trike.  There were times when he was trying to get going, and he struggled to get his wheels turning.  Often, with a little push from behind, he could go for a while on his own, as long as he didn't stop.  Inevitably, if he came to a standstill, he'd need a push to get going again.

Again, I've discovered multiple metaphors.  We're all on a quest back home to our Father in Heaven.  It's not always overly steep, but when it is, He assists us in ways we couldn't manage on our own.  It's a long, steady climb.  We occasionally need a push to get going, and as long as we keep going, we can maintain forward momentum without a push again.  Whether that push is medication (if you are suffering from depression), help from friends or family, a priesthood blessing, or whatever a push might be for each person, each of us need different kinds of pushes to help get us going again.  And that's OK, right, and good, and nobody should feel embarrassed about needing a little extra help.  WELCOME TO HUMANITY!

Being a Mom teaches me so much, I am often floored at the symbolism that I find.  Truly "All things denote there is a God." Alma 30:44 (in the Book of Mormon).