By Rochelle L’Italien
November, 2005

Finding something that captivates your interest, engages you fully and that you also feel passionate about can create unexpected changes in your life.

My name is Rochelle. Right now the year is 2005 and I’m 39 years old and a single mom of two boys who are currently ages 8 and 12. I work full time as a registered dietitian and graphic design/promotions coordinator. While I am absolutely crazy about my sons, this story is about my newly found passion. I ride a freestyle BMX bike – ramps, jumps, peg stalls, and more – and I love it! It’s my moving meditation.

Before I started riding in the spring of 2003 when I was 37, I never would have thought I’d be doing this or that I would find so much enjoyment in it. But here I am, loving what I do for myself. It gets me all revved up to get my bike and gear ready for a riding session. I ride for at least 2 hours a couple times each week at a large local indoor park.

I’m no pro – at this point I’ve entered no contests nor competed in any way. Heck, each and every one of us is always just beginning, wherever we are. But being a beginner has led me on a great adventure of discovering more about myself. Most riders I see at the park can do moves and tricks that I can barely imagine myself ever doing. They ride the high ramps and do tricks on the jumps with a natural type of flow. But the first time I ever rode a BMX bike I also never imagined the things I can do now. I can clear a box jump landing on the other side instead of just on the top; I can ride over a spine ramp, double peg stall, carve high in the half pipe ramps and more. I’ve also instructed, teaching beginner clinics to other girls and women on how to begin and enjoy riding freestyle BMX. It’s all about time on my bike, dedication and time with my own self.

Riding and being able to do those things is truly “a blast” and it is also incredible exercise for my body. But riding has also taught me a lot about other things, for example living in the present moment. I get totally absorbed and focused on riding when I’m in the midst of it; I find that brings me much inner peace. In this fast-paced world where the nature of our culture is to get things quick, get things easy, want more – faster, and always looking ahead, it is a wonderful thing to concentrate only on the “right now”. Riding has also taught me more about the principles of patience, self-trust, time, risk-taking, achievements, and hard work.

Learning new skills over time on a bike has presented me with a learning curve that I just can’t rush through. I’m forced to slow down, take the time, and make the effort since there’s no magic solution to make my progress quicker. Through patience, dedication, and taking the new risks that the new skills require, I’ve found the courage in myself to face some fears, and have discovered new strengths in myself as well. I’ve learned how to shift my perspective from struggling with self-doubts towards the realization that my goal is to do my best in the present moment and having fun while doing it. There is so much delight in that! It keeps a smile on my face and lets me enjoy each phase and each accomplishment.

These benefits have flowed over to other areas of my life as well. I get the opportunity to model patience and compassion with my boys. Hopefully by seeing this they can learn to choose these principles for themselves as they grow to be young men. My boys see my riding as just something their Mom does; it’s a part of who their Mom is. Their friends, on the other hand, are always amazed that “a Mom could do something like this” (so are their parents). I know that age and gender are not issues for me when pursuing what moves my spirit. So be good to your heart and spirit and follow your desires, even if others don’t understand why you love what you do so much!