When my mom was dying I had made an appeal to my riding friends to send notes to her telling her where they were and what they were seeing or doing. She never truly understood my passion, but she was interested. Then I got an email the next day from world record endurance rider John Ryan asking if he could come out in a couple days to bring a signed copy of the book about him and pay a little visit to my mom. He said he would leave New Jersey on Monday and needed to be back home on Friday. He figured he'd be here late Tuesday and have time for a quality visit with my mom before heading back out. John understood my passion for riding. I have friends all over the country who will meet up in Hollywood for hot dogs every November. They get it.
But, this isn't about riding, not really. This is really about what riding brings to my life. I don't need you to understand my passion for riding. I want you to have something that does for you what riding does for me. When I am carving the canyons I giggle like a child with every steel scraping curve. When I see a new (to me) beautiful vista, I stop in awe of God and His creation. Most importantly of all, whether I'm riding through grassy plains or rocky deserts, each and every mile quiets the noise of life. The worries go, the stress fades and I remember that God is always with me, even when I don't feel like it.
Over time I have realized that my body won't let me ride forever. And lately, I've figured out that the time to put away two wheels is coming sooner than I had expected. So, I'm hoping to trip across a deal on a trike so that I can stay close to the whole motorcycle world. But even if I don't, the memories and the miles will be with me forever and I will always be glad I rode.
What works for you? What makes you feel that way? Do you even know? Too many people just don't ever figure it out. Too many people just get by never really living. If that's you, then I invite you to join me and take a ride.
By the way, if you're curious about this whole riding thing, maybe you should check out "Why We Ride." http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2960470/