I was heading west on St. Rt. 40, just before dusk. The skies were a vivid blue, and clear; except for an island of clouds that veiled the setting sun. As I watched the formation before me, I was enveloped by a familiar feeling. It is the feeling one gets while sitting in the theater waiting for a play to begin, the audience is a buzz, making certain the purse, jacket, and playbill, are all in their proper places, and courtesously greeting those seated next to them. As you glance to the front, shadows of stagehands making final preparations seep from under the immense velveteen curtain, the orchestra finishes tuning, and a strange quiet hovers over the auditorium; The Show is about to begin! Such is the emotion I had last night. The sun seemed like a nervous school boy ready to deliver his opening lines, and with just the hum of my motorcycle, and the breeze in my face, It was Show Time! For the next 3-5 minutes, I witnessed one of the most spectacular performances anyone could imagine. The sun was brilliant as the leading man, and the sky, a magnificent leading lady! I was moved! I look forward to the next performance!
Tags: , beauty, leading man, motorcycle, sunset
What is that ingredient in most of humanity which causes us to live in a perpetual state of discontent? The majority of us spend excessive amounts of time, mental energy, and money, trying to acquire that which is newer, bigger, better, faster, or younger. And for what? It’s not as though we are without! In fact, if we would take a moment to honestly inventory all that we possess, we would instantly realize we are abundantly blessed and could live just fine without a newer, or shinier, Anything! But unfortunately we won’t. We are almost never happy!
Keep the Rubber Side Down!
Rick
Tags: , discontent, happiness, money
The clock on my bedside table reads 4:42 a.m. some twenty minutes before I need to get up, but I am excited to be awakened on this day. I leap from my bed, throw on my robe, and head downstairs to make some coffee. The dog begins to whine, ready to be let outside. As I open the door, the smell of Spring is all around me, it is going to be an awesome day to begin my trip!
Back inside, I grab my first cup of java and head for the shower, trying hard not to awaken anyone. But too late for that, my wife sleepily greets me on the landing, with her one of a kind smiles. By 5:10 a.m. I am dressed and full of caffeine. I grab my duffel bag and double check it’s contents; 3 black t-shirts, 2 pair of jeans, along with some underwear, and toiletries, looks good to me! My bride and I, rehearse my itinerary one more time, a quick kiss, and I am out the door.
Inside the garage, the trusty iron pony is ready to run. Her belly full of fuel, and saddle bags loaded. She fires and rumbles to life. I nervously adjust my helmet, and fiddle with my gloves. As I roll down the drive, I whisper a prayer of safety for my trip, and the family to whom I will return to in a few days.
Keep The Rubber Side Down!
Rick
The time: 11:45 p.m.
The place: My warm bed.
My wife and I had been in bed for a few minutes and I was at the crossroads of reality and dreamland, when my phone went off! “Damn it”! I knew it had to be Jonathan, my oldest son. He had been on campus all evening doing some studying (right!) I answer the phone; “What?” Dad, my bike won’t run! Jonathan says, I asked him what it was doing, then diagnosed the problem as NO FUEL! The kid ran it dry. It is midnight, he’s in a bad part of town, I was in bed, and now I have to take him fuel. I pull on my pants, grab a flashlight, and head to the shed for the gas can, mumbling loudly the entire time. I jump in my wife’s car, because I don’t want mine smelling of gas, and I am off to meet him. I arrived at his location in a matter of minutes, I added the juice, and the bike fired immediately, and we are headed back to the house. As I followed my twenty year son back home, my mind raced with what lecture I should give him, as several would be fitting for this occasion. But once inside our warm and safe abode, I decided not to say much, I was glad he was home, and after all isn’t that what a dads for?
One of the first things a cyclist must learn is balance. Without the mastery of this fundamental, one’s riding career is short lived. Webster defines balances as…”Stability produced by even distribution on both sides of a vertical axis“. Perhaps this explains why we love to ride! For the brief period of time we are on the bike, the world is stable, in sync, balanced. A feat hard to duplicate in real life, where so much we encounter is in turmoil, uncertainty, and brokenness.
One thing is for certain, a few miles down the road with the wind in your face, balance is restored to the world; at least for a while!
One of the first things a cyclist must learn is balance. Without the mastery of this fundamental, one’s riding career is short lived. Webster defines balances as…”Stability produced by even distribution on both sides of a vertical axis“. Perhaps this explains why we love to ride! For the brief period of time we are on the bike, the world is stable, in sync, balanced. A feat hard to duplicate in real life, where so much we encounter is in turmoil, uncertainty, and brokenness.
One thing is for certain, a few miles down the road with the wind in your face, balance is restored to the world; at least for a while!
One of the first things a cyclist must learn is balance. Without the mastery of this fundamental, one’s riding career is short lived. Webster defines balances as…”Stability produced by even distribution on both sides of a vertical axis“. Perhaps this explains why we love to ride! For the brief period of time we are on the bike, the world is stable, in sync, balanced. A feat hard to duplicate in real life, where so much we encounter is in turmoil, uncertainty, and brokenness.
One thing is for certain, a few miles down the road with the wind in your face, balance is restored to the world; at least for a while!
During my second month of college, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions, until I read the last one: “What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school? Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would I know her name? I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our grade quiz . “Absolutely,” said the professor. “In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say ’hello’. I’ve never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy.
(this story has been around for a long time but it still resonates with truth!)
The time: 11:45 p.m.
The place: My warm bed.
My wife and I had been in bed for a few minutes and I was at the crossroads of reality and dreamland, when my phone went off! “Damn it”! I knew it had to be Jonathan, my oldest son. He had been on campus all evening doing some studying (right!) I answer the phone; “What?” Dad, my bike won’t run! Jonathan says, I asked him what it was doing, then diagnosed the problem as NO FUEL! The kid ran it dry. It is midnight, he’s in a bad part of town, I was in bed, and now I have to take him fuel. I pull on my pants, grab a flashlight, and head to the shed for the gas can, mumbling loudly the entire time. I jump in my wife’s car, because I don’t want mine smelling of gas, and I am off to meet him. I arrived at his location in a matter of minutes, I added the juice, and the bike fired immediately, and we are headed back to the house. As I followed my twenty year son back home, my mind raced with what lecture I should give him, as several would be fitting for this occasion. But once inside our warm and safe abode, I decided not to say much, I was glad he was home, and after all isn’t that what a dads for?
Robert Pirsig wrote in his book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance…
“You see things vacationing on a motorcycle in a way that is completely different from any other. In a car you’re always in a compartment, and because you’re used to it you don’t realize that through that car window everything you see is just more TV. You’re a passive observer and it is all moving by you boringly in a frame.
“On a cycle the frame is gone. You’re completely in contact with it all. You’re in the scene, not just watching it anymore, and the sense of presence is overwhelming. That concrete whizzing by 5 inches below your foot is the real thing, the same stuff you walk on, it’s right there, so blurred you can’t focus on it, yet you can put your foot down and touch it anytime, and the whole thing, the whole experience, is never removed from immediate consciousness.”
St. Augustine (354-430 AD) wrote, “The world is a book and those who do not travel, read only a page.”
I was heading west on St. Rt. 40, just before dusk. The skies were a vivid blue, and clear; except for an island of clouds that veiled the setting sun. As I watched the formation before me, I was enveloped by a familiar feeling. It is the feeling one gets while sitting in the theater waiting for a play to begin, the audience is a buzz, making certain the purse, jacket, and playbill, are all in their proper places, and courtesously greeting those seated next to them. As you glance to the front, shadows of stagehands making final preparations seep from under the immense velveteen curtain, the orchestra finishes tuning, and a strange quiet hovers over the auditorium; The Show is about to begin! Such is the emotion I had last night. The sun seemed like a nervous school boy ready to deliver his opening lines, and with just the hum of my motorcycle, and the breeze in my face, It was Show Time! For the next 3-5 minutes, I witnessed one of the most spectacular performances anyone could imagine. The sun was brilliant as the leading man, and the sky, a magnificent leading lady! I was moved! I look forward to act II. Now you understand why I love to ride!
