The neighborhood kids have recently rallied together to teach one of their own how to ride a bike. The instructors, all professional cyclists, range in age from six to ten. The student, a girl, is probably five. It’s unclear if she asked for their help. Or even wants to ride the bike. Regardless, they’ve been tirelessly accelerating her around our block for the past few weeks and shouting motivational phrases like “Stop dragging your feet!” and “If you hit those mailboxes you’ll die!”
I briefly considered going out to offer them some assistance and fresh medical supplies, but ultimately decided against it. Instead, I’m going to remain a neutral observer, like the videographers from that Planet Earth documentary who just sat back and watched all those adorable penguins struggling against nature instead of humanely giving them biking lessons and directions to the nearest In-N-Out Burger.
So far, things are progressing much better than expected*.
*At least none of them have been eaten by orcas yet.
Eating My Way to the Top 