Easy as Riding a Bike?

I don't even remember what the radio announcer was talking about, but what caught my attention was when he said, "It'll come right back to you. It's like riding a bike." As a kid I always loved riding my bike. I had a blue bike that I got for Christmas one year. I remember my grandmother patiently teaching me to ride. We had a nice long driveway so we could bike without worrying about cars. I was never a daredevil but bike riding gave you a feeling of unfettered freedom. When I was living in Boston there was a period of time when I rode my bike to work everyday. That all ended one morning as I was riding down Commonwealth Avenue in the Back Bay and a driver ran a red light. I saw my relatively short life flash before my eyes and barely avoided being road kill. After other motorists stopped to make sure I was okay, I continued to work. I rode my bike home that night and that was the last time I rode a bike for a very long time. A few years ago I decided I wanted to take up bike riding again, for the exercise if nothing else. Buying a bike, like everything else in life has gotten much more complicated. Did I want a mountain bike? A cruiser? 3 speeds? More? And the prices? Sticker shock. In any case, I got talked into a bike that I was not in love with. The first time I took it out I found it hard to fathom how unfamiliar it felt. Turning corners seemed unnatural and dare I say it, scary. I used the bike but it wasn't fun. I wanted that feeling of the wind in my hair, the races with my siblings, the sheer joy of having wheels. After a bit, my nephew asked if I was interested in selling him the bike so I did. But still. I heard that phrase in my head: "Easy as riding a bike". When I spied a white, pink and purple beach cruiser in a store last Christmas I decided I was going to give it one more try. So I bought myself a bike for Christmas. And now the weather is getting nice, so it's time to break it out. If you see a fifty something woman timidly riding a colorful bike and making REALLY wide turns, have pity. It's just an effort to recapture my carefree youth, get some exercise and show that driver in Boston that I am still alive and kicking.