Having just skimmed my past two (only two) entries on this blog, I am concerned that anyone reading this will think I am always a bit blue! So I thought I would do a less maudlin blog! :-)
I recently got a motorcycle. It is just a small street bike, but I enjoy it far more than I had expected!
The official excuse for getting the bike was 85 MPG. At $4.00+ gas prices, all of a sudden, a small bike like my V-star 250 made sense. But that is not why I love it.
When it comes to it, what surprised me is that my motorcycle begs me to ride on those back roads I have never taken before. This may be in part that my bike has to work pretty hard to go freeway speeds. She is just more enjoyable on those back roads. That explains the "back roads" part, but not the "roads I have never taken before" part. That may take more explaining.
Have you ever seen a picture or video of a place, and then later visited it in person? That is the difference of being on a motorcycle... it is the difference between seeing it on TV (car) and actually being there (bike).
When I am in a car, it is about arriving there. I don't want to take the long way! Let's just get there. Then I get on my bike. Now the purpose is not arrival, but the trip itself. So if it takes more time to follow this new road to see where it goes, well that is OK. Heck, sometimes I just ride for the sake of riding - with no destination in mind at all! So if my ride into work takes an extra 20 minutes, that is not wasted time, but 20 minutes of bonus time.
I have seen so many cool places I never knew existed. The road to the east of I-15 going into Pocatello weaves through some of the prettiest areas I have seen in South-east Idaho. Really pretty homes with mature trees and gorgeous farmland that I never saw from the freeway. north of Logan, but south of Preston is also wonderful. There is this one old dairy with a building in front of it that has a faded sign... A close look at the sign shows you that it used to be a cafe! But it is so far from any town. It is just... on a dairy farm! Go figure. Then there is this old LDS church that is now privatly owned. It is dark brick and really pretty. It almost reminds me of the Old Rock Church in Providence.
I suppose commuting in an old Model-T Ford would have a similar affect.
We get in such a hurry in life. Always running somewhere. But when we do this, the trip becomes a moment in life, just wasted. When the trip becomes a part of the enjoyment, then life is fuller. Its a Zen kind of "living each moment to its fullest" or "enjoying the Now."
Whatever it is called, life is just better on a motorcycle... it just is!
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Life is better when we notice our surroundings. I used to think that world God created had no similarity to the world we live in. All I saw was the dirty waste of cities or the wickedness of those living here. After a major life awakening (trials which help us) I have come to recognize the world as God made it. There is so much beauty. In the landscape on my way to work and in the people I deal with every day. I am very fortunate to be in the places I am. And, even more fortunate that I actually SEE them, through more spiritual eyes.
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