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Embarrassing...


So you know how you go to parties and one of the little "get to know you" games is - what's your most embarrassing moment? Well, here goes:

I went to BYU (no, that's not the embarrassing thing. Much.) while I was preparing to go on my mission. I used to ride my bike to school from my home in Orem, and I found it convenient to ride my bike between classes as well. So one day, between classes, I was riding my bike between the Jesse Knight Humanities Building on my way over to the MARB. The route took me right by the Lee Library, one of the busiest places on campus.

There was a place in the sidewalk where the concrete had heaved up about 1/2 inch. For some reason (I'll never know why I did it...) I decided to lift up (kind of a mini-wheelie) my front wheel over the bump.

See, when I put my bike in the bike rack, and after taking it back out of the rack, I failed to notice that the quick-release lever on the front wheel had been pulled, and that the only thing that was keeping my front wheel attached to the bike was the weight of me and the bike holding it down.

Once I removed the weight...

You know how sometimes things happen and you're very alive, aware of each blade of grass, the blue sky, and the soft breeze that goes through your hair? Time seems to slow down as you realize how wonderful it is to be alive... I love those times. Really. Except the thing that usually foments such a moment is some kind of mortal danger.

I pulled up on the handlebars. The front wheel kept right on going. It rolled away about 10 feet and flopped over on its side. I distinctly remember thinking - I'm going to need that...

Genius.

The forks came down on the sidewalk and I executed a perfect end-o over the handlebars. My legs became tangled in the pedals and frame, requiring a rather painful self-extrication (that was the most painful part of the deal) and I ended up on my back looking up at the beautiful blue sky...

Remember, this was between classes at BYU (where every class gets out at the same time) and in a very busy place. It was awesome to watch the people struggle between trying not to laugh and trying to pretend they were concerned... One guy brought me back my front wheel and then quickly moved away, probably to mask his amusement... One girl in particular was completely torn - she was crying and trying to act all concerned but was struck with fits of laughter that just kept coming to the surface. I'm glad she was there, though, because it helped me laugh at it all, too. And it turned something that was embarrassing to something that was just funny. I wasn't really hurt (maybe my pride, a little, but who has time for pride anyway?!?) and now that I think about it I can see how funny it must have looked...

Life is amazing. It really is.

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