bull by the horns

you never know how your words will fit into another person's life.

as a kid, there were these boys that kept trying to run us over with their bikes.   they were freakin' obnoxious!   it was constant.   day after day they would show up and just bully us non-stop.

then it happened!  i heard an adult say something about taking the bull by the horns.   my pre10 year old mind knew exactly what to do!

the next day, i was ready.   i had played it out in my head several times.   i was kind of a thinker even then so i had thought about all the things that could go wrong.   i also knew i was not taking this crap from these kids any more!

we went out to play.
they showed up.
i watched them carefully and put  my plan into action.  

one of them lined up to take a run at me.   the other kids were scattering.   i yelled that i wasn't afraid and they better not try it.   i wasn't running anymore.

the bullies laughed and my friends cringed.

i lined up, spread my legs a bit so they wouldn't get hit before i could act.  i braced myself.   the bike came at me faster than i thought.

i wasn't totally ready but i wasn't moving.   the kid raced at me full speed.  

as he got to me, i grabbed the handlebars and twisted.. . . .

i had planned on twisting anyway.     the plan was to twist the handlebars and throw him off the bike as i stayed standing triumphant over the defeated villain.    

seemed like a solid plan.   i just didn't account for my size . . . or his size . . . .  or the bikes momentum.

i did catch the handlebars with my hands and i did throw the kid and his bike to the ground.   i ended up on the ground in the aftermath as well.  

i'm sure i got hurt, but i didn't feel it.   i got up as fast as possible and in true hero style asked if anyone else wanted to try it.

ended up taking on a couple more.   they didn't run in fear when i toppled the leader like they do in the movies.    i was determined though.   eventually, the dust settled and one kid swore his parents would make me pay for the damage done to his bike.   i was a little freaked when i saw him walking back down the road with mom in tow.   i gathered up that crazy, ticked off, not gonna take it anymore courage that had made me try to take the bully bike by the handlebars in the first place and explained that the reason he got thrown from his bike was because of at least a week's worth of attacks.   fortunately, my friends bore witness and showed their recent injuries inflicted by her son and his pals.   his bike was the least of his worries after that.  

i learned that it was easier to side step and push than to go head on and twist.  
i learned that standing up means being willing to get hurt in the process.
 i learned that you shouldn't tattle on someone that has just gathered up the gumption to defend themselves against you.
 i learned that sometimes you stand alone, and sometimes you gather followers but standing up is what counts.  
i learned to use the crazy.
i learned the power of ticked off.
i learned to fight back.

i learned to take the bull by the horns.   that is one of the most important things i ever learned.