Learning How to Fall

#186

Friend,

I was talking to a friend of mine who has a daughter who competes in BMX biking competitively. He was telling me about competitions, equipment, and how she got into it, but then he told me what she was currently working on:

Learning how to fall.

And I thought, “Don’t we all need to learn how to fall?”

If she doesn’t learn how to fall, then she’ll either be more likely to experience a devastating injury, or she will be unwilling to push herself to get better because she will be afraid to try it. So, she is practicing falling well.

Experiencing hurt is vastly different than experiencing harm.

Falling is a part of being human. (One of my fundamental Christian beliefs is that Jesus, in his humanity, stubbed his toe.) But it can be so easy to avoid falling because of fear of failure or pain. Falling is not failure. And pain is not the enemy. Falling is an opportunity to get up, and pain is an indication that something is right.

So what are the keys to falling well on a BMX bike?

1. Right equipment.

2. Roll with the fall.

3. Release the bike.

I think that’s good advice for falling in our world.

1. Right equipment. Surround yourself with people who will help you, when you fall.

2. Roll with the fall. Don’t see the fall as the finale, but use the momentum of learning to propel you forward.

3. Release the bike. Sometimes we are clinging to something (an idol, an ideal), and releasing it prevents us from getting caught up in it.

Love,

Aaron