Today my husband and I took our 5 year old, Louie, to the park to teach him how to ride his bike. Here in the Netherlands, kids seem to master bike riding before taking their first steps, but the training wheels had come off Louie’s bike a few months ago and the bike had not moved since.
We rode in the grass to soften his fear of falling and I used the technique of running while holding him as he pedaled until he was stable enough not to notice when I let go. It was exhausting (for me), but surprisingly successful!
On the way home, we stopped by my office to drop off something and my husband commented on my recently rearranged bookshelves, now prominently spotlighting my Seth Godin collection and photo taken with Seth in London. “Come on, you are too old to be a Groupie,” my husband teased. “I am a Groupie; end of discussion,” I replied. It was surprising because I had written a post, The Guru and the Groupie, after meeting Seth, but my husband never reads my blog.
My colleague Lisa and I are often amazed by the uncanny timing of Seth Godin’s advice on the various topics we grapple with at the Women’s Buisness Initiative International. Our belief that Seth Godin is a mind reader and that he writes just for us is obviously shared by thousands of other Seth fans. A few hours later, I checked Seth’s blog and for the first time in 3000+ posts, he offers a parenting tip. You can guess the topic of his tip; How to teach your kid to ride a bike!
Today the coincidence was really too much. But even if I lived in a time zone that had enabled me to see the post before the bike riding lesson, I wouldn’t have followed Seth’s advice completely. Rollerblading, as Seth advised, instead of running to keep up with Louie, would’ve guaranteed that Seth’s post tomorrow would be all about a trip to the emergency room!
Suzy Ogé is an American born business woman living in The Hague, The Netherlands. 