Back In the Saddle Again

So, it's been awhile since I've posted to this here blog. Let's see, for those who are interested; I'm still working for the State of Kentucky, I've gotten a Kentucky Col. License plate, and I am finalizing the purchase of a new motorcycle for myself.

This last item has caused no small amount of controversy in my life. In 2003 I was involved in a horrendous accident that caused me to break both arms, several ribs, and puncture a lung. So, as you can imagine, those in my life who love me have been questioning my sanity. The reasons I have for insisting on following through with this purchase after what has happened to me are first and foremost mine, but I will see if I can't shed some light on my thought processes.

In a nutshell, I have unfinished business with motorcycling. When I left it in 2003, I did so because at the time I was both physically and financially incapable of doing motorcycling as a hobby. 6 years later things have changed in both regards. Beyond that though, I have unfinished business with motorcycling. I have a number of long trips that I never took. Probably more important to me, I have a passion that I can share with my father, something that I have been looking for since I was a teenager. These 2 things are probably the biggest things I can think of for picking up where I left off.

Among other reasons I have for taking up this thing again, there has always been a Zen that I have experienced when I ride. Read Zen and The Art of Motorcycle Repair to really get an idea of what I'm talking about. Simply put, motorcycling was a form of meditation for me, and I hope it will be in the future. There is something basic for me that I get when I strip away all of the things that a car puts between me and the world.

So, if you have any questions about why I'm doing this, read my above post. I recently heard a John Mellencamp song called Longest Days. In that song there is a chorus that sings "life is short even in its longest days" I could wait 20 years to take up riding again, but 20 years from now is not guaranteed for me, and things then will not be what they are now. So I do this now and spend every minute I'm doing it thinking about my son and what I am doing so that he can have a father to do the same. I don't go into this lightly, and you don't go through an accident like that without learning some things, or thinking about your safety or your surroundings. That being said, you also shouldn't stop living.