{"id":4058,"date":"2018-07-01T18:33:47","date_gmt":"2018-07-01T15:33:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hbne.co.il\/?p=4058"},"modified":"2019-11-05T13:31:04","modified_gmt":"2019-11-05T11:31:04","slug":"ride-and-reach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hbne.co.il\/?p=4058","title":{"rendered":"Ride and Reach"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Girls just want to have fun<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Recreating<\/h2>\n

Imagine the thrill of reconnecting with a playful childhood pastime.<\/p>\n

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Fancy riding the depth of a passion that brings you door to door collecting orphaned bikes, in an effort to share your fervor with others like you.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Envision an alternate reality where, after being skewered by your bike\u2019s kickstand at the age of 6, you get back in the saddle.<\/p>\n

Life on a bike opens a window of freedom and opportunity. There is nothing quite like the adrenaline rush of heightened senses, the thrill of nature\u2019s tapestries or the absolute clarity of purpose it cultivates.<\/p>\n

At times, mountain biking can be wholly meditational. Such was that day. By the time I managed to press the \u201cpause button,\u201d they were long gone\u2026<\/p>\n

As I began to process the event in delay, I was hit by the enormity of what I had just witnessed.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the 10-plus years since my husband I have been mountain biking, we\u2019ve seen a steady rise of Arab mountain bikers on the trails. Sporadically at first, paving the way for the abundant polished jerseys and bikes which followed, but\u00a0men, they were always, always men.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Men these were not! It was not your ordinary group of bikers.\u00a0The eclectic collection of orphaned bikes, hijabs and helmets made for one extraordinary moment.<\/a><\/p>\n

Luckily, our paths crossed once again about two weeks later. I bolted from my group and raced to catch up with the mystifying women ahead of me.<\/p>\n

Ever speculated upon the power of chance encounters to shape our tomorrows?<\/p>\n

New Times<\/h2>\n

Fast forward almost two years in time. Meet my friend Eman. She is small in stature but what she lacks in height, she makes up for in spunk, spirit and resolve.<\/p>\n

Alongside of her psychodrama career, Eman, mother of two, a woman of big visions, is on her way to becoming a certified bike coach. A biker at heart from the age of seven, she wanted to bike and she darn well made it happen. \u00a0With unwavering tenacity, she gathered birds and bikes all around town. For the most part these were women who had not been on a bike since they were young girls. A contagious blast of frenzy danced on air as the ladies found their mount. At first it was \u201cfix me up\u201d steeds, haphazard dress and short rides. Today\u2019s mountain bikes are rentals and in good working condition. The original short four-kilometer ride length has long since been surpassed. \u00a0More and more of the women are purchasing bikes and sport specific gear.<\/p>\n

After I met Eman, we masterminded \u201cRide and Reach\u201d playshops, bringing Arab and Jewish women together for early mornings full of a<\/strong>dventure, b<\/strong>ikes, c<\/strong>onnection, d<\/strong>ance, e<\/strong>ats and f<\/strong>un. We even managed to splash together below ancient Jewish\/Roman ruins in the Zippori Stream.<\/p>\n

Eman says that bikes are freedom, fresh air and no borders. Bikes too are a wonderful tool to further liberate the modern independent Arab woman.\u00a0 Just as Eman loves biking off road, discovering and sharing nature\u2019s pearls tucked away from sight, she longs to bike with her brethren, yonder behind the man-made barriers.<\/p>\n

Not long after our joint adventures began, Eman was pregnant with her second child. We recently began riding together once again, when her son was but seven months old. Besides Eman, there are two other Arab women from the original \u201cRide and Reach\u201d playshops who are ripe for the next step up. All three have purchased bikes and gear. We ride together whenever we are able to synchronize our schedules.<\/p>\n

For Areej, our resident prenatal nurse and mother of three, biking is life, positive energy that charges her come rain or shine: moments of pure pleasure and delight. In her words: \u201cWhoever hasn\u2019t tried it has no idea what she is missing!\u201d<\/p>\n

As Eman is small, Heba is large, larger than life. Heba emanates strength, courage and willpower. It is my privilege to bear witness to the metamorphosis of this amazing woman. Heba is an orthopedic nurse and mother of two. She aspires to be a supportive mother, to instill seeds of awareness, never taking life\u2019s gifts for granted, neither personal accomplishments nor the family\u2019s journey towards its ideals. Biking? For Heba: \u201cBiking is yoga!\u201d<\/p>\n

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We are a group of five friends: three Arabs, Muslim and Christian, and two Jews. Dalia is the missing link. Dalia is a mosaic artist, interior designer and a mother of four. She has initiated a number of joint Arab and Jewish community mosaic art projects. In Dalia\u2019s words: \u201cBiking together is heart, all heart. It\u2019s the perfect combination of fresh air, nature, exercise, women and optimism.<\/p>\n

All or Something<\/h2>\n

And me? I\u2019ve always been an all or nothing kind of a girl. I have often decided to veer sharply and pledge my allegiance to that choice of direction, be it left or right, backwards or forwards, health, passion or politics. In my experience, whenever I have chosen this pattern of behavior,\u00a0I\u2019ve always paid a personal price.<\/a><\/p>\n

What do I love about biking? Hands down I could requote every last tidbit of all of my friends. Their passion and purpose are mine too.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the hurdles on my path that speak to me. As I bike I find myself thoughtlessly clearing obstacles which not so long ago were reason to dismount and lead my bike around. Suddenly the \u201cmountains\u201d became \u201cmolehills\u201d. How was I ever afraid to go over that?!<\/p>\n

All or nothing? Do something!<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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This post originally appeared in The Times of Israel on April 29, 2018.<\/a><\/p>\n

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If you have not yet read about the rocky part of my journey, you can read it here<\/a>.\u200e<\/p>\n

I would like to thank you for your patience in reading this post to its end.\u200e<\/em><\/h3>\n
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If you liked what you read and you are not on my mailing list, you can sign up \u200ehere<\/a>.\u200e<\/em><\/p>\n

Finally I would like to request that you please share my powerful animated\u00a0message<\/em>!<\/p>\n

Join me: CHOOSE abundant whole health!<\/h2>\n

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You Tell Your Future – The Power is Ours!<\/a><\/h4>\n

Imagine you had a looking glass where for a very short window of time you could observe, live the \u200efinal moment, day, year or years of your life. The picture that you see is clear. Startled, you clearly \u200edo not like what you see. A wave of sadness and fright paralyzes you.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n