On Being Stoker

As I mentioned a few posts ago, the front seat of a tandem bike is called the captain and the back seat the stoker. From the stoker seat, I can see everything I want to the right and to the left, but in front I have a very good view of Percy's back and can only see the road far ahead if it is straight. I have no way of steering and no access to brakes. I spent most of our first ride wondering if I would be able to throw myself clear if the bike should fall.

[Side Note : I discovered later that both of us can throw ourselves clear. No one was hurt, and it's reassuring to know that.]

Whether traveling on Williamsburg road and trails or gliding down mountain hills, I find the stoker seat a lot like those trust exercises I've always hated. The ones where you close your eyes and someone leads you, or you lean back and get passed around a circle, or you let a crowd carry you. I hate them because, well, I have trouble with trust. So, as excited as I was to get on a tandem bike (who has this life?!) I was also terrified. And continue to be a little nervous every time I get on.

When we first started biking, Percy and I had to learn each others' balance and biking habits. How we lean against the falling of the bike, when we stop pedaling, how he steers and brakes. I learned that he always steers us right and brakes in time (or, mostly he does), but that he tends to brake slightly later than I would if I were in the front seat. As we were flying down the hills at Lake Sherando, I realized that these tendencies made the ride so exhilarating.

Which, of course, becomes the perfect analogy for my life right now. I am sitting on the backseat of a bicycle with Someone whom I trust completely in the front seat. I have a general idea of where He is taking me, but the everyday bumps are often unexpected. I have moments when I want to scream and throw myself off, but I simply hang on tight and trust that I'll end up okay. Even with my YACM job ending soon and an unknown summer ahead. Even with a big move and worries about loans and leaving people behind. I've got an excellent Captain.