Growing up, my brother and I shared a bicycle. Being two years older, he quickly learned how to ride it and spent hours practising. By the time he was 9, he had already upgraded to one of those fancy gear bicycles. On the other hand, I didn’t learn to ride one until 11/12. The bike we both shared was a yellow and red one with training wheels, for some extra support until I was ready to transition to two wheels.
Every evening, after coming home from work, my dad patiently helped me learn how to ride one. He would hold the bike steady as I pedalled, ensuring I didn’t fall. Around the same time in the evening, I’d see my brother cruising around in his geared bicycle confidently, even taking his bike out on the roads. Meanwhile, I was still in the basement, still needing my dad’s help to stay balanced. In a lot of ways, I felt left behind, but I couldn’t do anything about it. I felt stuck. But I had my dad.
My dad has always emphasized the importance of practical experience and just diving into anything that you do. He has a road-crossing mantra. "Just cross—someone will stop." Sorry to break it to you Dad, but that’s not how you cross roads. A good metaphor for other parts of your life, though. Despite my mom’s protective instincts and her concern for our safety, my dad encouraged us to take risks and figure things out as we went. That mindset has shaped so much of who I am today. His adventurous spirit has mellowed over the years, but the essence of his “just do it and see what happens” philosophy continues to be a big part of me.
It took me years to learn to ride a bike confidently, but once I did, it felt liberating. One of my most cherished memories is a warm Sunday morning in Kumara Park, Bangalore, cycling through the quiet streets with my dad and brother. We even stumbled upon a house with a sweet dog. I often think about it, and every time I do, I’m 11 again.
Over the years, I’ve faced and overcome many fears—learning to swim, driving a car (no, I still don’t have my license; please don’t ask), joining dating apps, learning how to trust people after years of disappointment, sharing vulnerable parts of myself to the world and my loved ones. The hardest of them all though has been learning to trust myself.
There are so many things I want to try—design, coding, reaching out to people I admire, and more. Yet, every time I want to, I can vividly imagine all the ways it going wrong. My past failures haven’t helped either; they’ve chipped away at my confidence over time. And let’s be honest—no one likes being a beginner.
But I’ve realized the only way out is through. Waiting to get it perfect on the first go only makes it harder to start. Even mediocre efforts are okay because they show something far more important—your willingness to try and be seen, no matter how imperfect.
And that’s how folks, I learned how to ride a bicycle. Thank you dad, I couldn’t have done this without you.
I’m still learning how to trust myself, writing this and sharing this with the world is my tiny attempt at being seen and more importantly- being seen trying.
What are you most afraid of trying but really want to? Tell me in the comments or text me (details below!)
Before I go, as always here are some thoughts/recommendations:
1) A tweet I randomly thought of and tweeted, sort of garnered a lot of attention?
2) I’ve been journaling on and off since 2020 and every time I pause on journaling for a bit, this is the video I watch before restarting journaling again :’)
3) I recently watched The Godfather 1 and 2 and the cinema bros were right, it is phenomenal! Also, young Al Pacino > young DeNiro, right?
4) One of my favourite song lyrics of all time- all the broken hearts in the world still beat. Girls chase boys by Ingrid Michaelson.
5) Now that it’s almost the end of November and an acceptable time to play Christmas music, this to me is the best Christmas song of all time.
6) A picture of me taken at a friend’s party :) Another friend did my eyeshadow, it’s my best eyemakeup look yet
I’d love to hear from you! Email me/send me a DM on Twitter or send me a postcard?
Until next time,
Drink some hot chocolate!
Anya x
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📩 Email: saranyaar2104@gmail.com
🐦 Twitter: @holasaranyahere