Today was a perfect day for a motorcycle ride. Blue skies. Moderately high temperatures. And wonderful smells.
Riding is about being present both with the road and the nature around you. No one said it better than Robert Pirsig in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance:
“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.”
Doing things well means being present to that which we are doing. When we’re, everything is in alignment. And on a motorcycle, that’s a good thing.
Ron, motorcycling is a great teacher if you will. I’d add one other great lesson from the saddle: in motorcycling, if you stare at a pothole in the road while riding, you will head right into it. So it goes with life. Look for the smooth pavement, and there you will go.
Drake
So true!