Euphoric to ride under a radiant sky and a soft heat, the girls are excited. I feel carried by a wave of gratitude. The light wind on my face gives me this feeling of freedom. In the middle of the descent, I suddenly hear a big metallic noise. I turn around and see Nayla on the ground, Xavier in emergency braking and a car passing them. My brain immediately interprets that Nayla is on the ground because of the vehicle. A scream comes from my entire being.
I put my bike down and turn around. Xavier has taken Nayla in his arms. She is screaming and crying loudly. By the time I reach them with Fibie, there is not a sound. I need to hear Nayla’s voice. At this moment, I hold my breath, is she unconscious?
When I get to them, Nayla can talk to me. She received a big blow in the stomach, where the handlebars hit. She has scratches everywhere and especially a piece of skin less on her hand. Her clothes are torn, the metal of the bike has marked the new road, the helmet is slightly damaged.
She lost control on the way down. Her handlebars started to vibrate from left to right. Not daring to use the brakes, she fell at full speed.
We performed first aid and made sure there were no signs of shock, internal bleeding, or concussion. After half an hour, she takes her place in the cart and we continue on our way. We have an appointment this evening with a doctor friend. She will take the time to check her and to redo her bandage, which also allowed to calm and reassure Nayla.
The road then is sumptuous. The bright green trees of the young leaves illuminate the vast wild spaces. We ride along the lake Kenogami. There is a pure and crystalline atmosphere. However, I feel in me the fears that this incident has awakened, the doubts that intrude in my mind. I want to get down on the ground and cry, to question everything. At that moment, the tragic scenarios start to loop in my mind. What if… ? A part of me is apnea. I know Nayla is safe, but my mind is racing. My heart is tight and so is my throat.
In our nomadic life, we have no choice but to free our mind from all doubts, because they are born in the energy of fear. Giving them weight, feeding them, feeds that same energy. In order to be able to listen to our intuitions, which will give us the warning signals of a real danger, we must be in confidence and vibrate the energy of love. I then take the time to go inside myself, to hear the part of me that panics, that fears, that dreads, that is afraid. I listen to it. I accept that it is present, without giving life to the scenarios that my mind brings to life. I connect to my breath, to the energy of life. Then finally, I come to feel gratitude and thank the universe because Nayla only has a few scratches.
Beyond the accident, however, Nayla feels what happened. She whispered to me that the rope that connected her to her friend had stretched like a rubber band, until it snapped. The separation was hard, on both sides, and the bond between them had turned into a thick rope. I then explained to Nayla a little story. I asked her to take a pebble in her hand so it wouldn’t fall. She held it tightly. Then I explained to her that she could turn her hand over and open her fingers. The stone fits in the palm without having to squeeze it. When you want to keep a relationship by clenching your fist, you prevent the other person from being who they are, you lock them in. By leaving the palm open, the relationship is no less strong, but the connection is different. It is open. It becomes a heart-to-heart connection. Nayla cried a lot, and at the same time I felt in her eyes that she understood. I felt this click, this understanding, like a gentle wisdom that helped to soothe her heart.
