I hear it all the time, "motorcycles are dangerous," "it's not the motorcycles, but all the other people on the road, not looking out for them," "four wheels are safer than two," "there's no seat belts or any protection," ... etc, etc...blah, blah, blah.
I've always believed in a power
greater than all- our Lord Almighty. Since I was a small kid, I've looked up at
the countless stars, glistening in the dark expanse of the night sky and into
the vast blue canvas of daylight and known, in my heart, that there
was more to all of this creation than a simple "happenstance" of
random phenomena occurring at some arbitrarily perfect moment with such power
and brilliance that it created all of this life and wonder. Now, I don't
remember when I heard this, or from whom, but I was told a long, long time ago
that every person's name is written in the Book Of Life and the Book Of Death
and that only our God knows when those dates are. I'll tell you something else
too- when I heard that, a whole lot of confusion regarding that ole bony
bastard in the dark shroud that holds the scythe started clearing up for me,
and I felt an overwhelming sense of peace.
You see, to most people, death is
unpredictable and seemingly random. There's no apparent rhyme or reason why the
guy that gorges himself until he weighs 800 pounds keeps on living, but the guy
that exercises every day and only eats the most healthy of diets has a heart
attack... or worse, gets cancer. Or, for that matter, how in the hell are all
the guys from Jackass not dead? Seriously, if you ever watched any of those
shows and watched what those boneheads did to themselves (and to each other),
it should baffle your mind as to how they aren't all, at the very least,
paralyzed from the ears down!
However... when you consider the
possibilities that maybe, just maybe, you're not just some random gathering of
cells that developed into the sentient being that your friends and family know
and love, but rather, your birth was foreseen, planned, written, before
you ever breathed your first breaths of life; and conversely, if you can accept
that just as light must have dark and clear skies must have rain- that life
must have death, and that the moment that your heart beats for the very last
time is also written, then at that moment, you will start to realize that
everything that happens in the middle is just a continuous stream of
opportunities to make memories, do good for others, have fun and to appreciate
all that this wonderful miracle that we call life has to offer.
How liberating is it to consider
the possibility that we have absolutely no control over our own death and to
acknowledge that we are alive, right now, and that we are not
guaranteed tomorrow? How exciting is it when we embrace the
notion that our God has given us this day, this moment, and has not promised us
tomorrow or even the next hour? Doesn't it make you want to go do something
good and righteous for your fellow man? Doesn't it give you the courage to ask
that person that you like out on a date, or at the very least, tell them how
you feel? Doesn't it give you the determination to do that thing that you've
always wanted to do? Doesn't it strip away some of the fears that you have and
make you realize that maybe those fears are actually just keeping you from
experiencing life? I saw a quote recently, I don't know who said it or if it
was just something from one of those cheesy motivational posters that your boss
hangs in the office... but I liked it and it summed up what I'm saying in a
beautifully eloquent way-
"Fear does not stop death,
it stops life. Worrying does not take away tomorrow's troubles, it takes away
today's peace."
-author unknown
Now, I'm not suggesting that you
throw out all caution and common sense and go into the world with full reckless
abandon and a total lack of precaution. I'm also not implying that we are
invincible, because we are not, nor are we following some predestined path. We
can alter our journeys through life- we can make them more, or less, enjoyable
with the choices that we make. The choices that we make today, will surely
affect how we live our lives tomorrow, if we are granted that opportunity, so
we need to make smart choices. Drink more water, eat a little better, get more
exercise and use good common sense, but don't deprive yourself of the simple
joys of a good cup of coffee, a slice of pizza, or of doing something that you
are only afraid of doing because you've always been told it
was dangerous.
Don't be afraid to try something as
wonderful as riding a motorcycle, and potentially miss the chance to experience
the world in a way that you never could have imagined, just because it seems
scary or you think it's dangerous. If you don't have a desire to ride then don't, but I have a
feeling that if you are reading this, then you either ride, used to ride, or
want to ride. Riding a motorcycle can either be relaxing, exciting or both, depending on where you go, how far you lean or how fast and far you twist the right grip. It can also be very therapeutic.
I've experienced the tranquility of
riding alone along a dark, desolate highway in the middle of a lightning storm,
watching as the clouds exploded with stunning flashes of the most brilliant
light you can imagine, flashing and flickering to a symphony of rolling thunder
far off in the distance. I've experienced a glorious array of color created by
the morning sun shining through the leaves of tall oak, maple and poplar trees
in the mist of an early fall Appalachian morning. I've heard the wind softly rustle
the leaves along the banks of a bubbling mountain spring in the Ozarks. I've
slept under the stars, breathed the cool mountain air and fallen asleep to the
sounds of the night creatures making their way along the forest floor, all
while my trusty motorcycle was parked nearby, waiting patiently for the sun to
rise to take me to my next adventure.
Motorcycles are dangerous,
but so are cars, airplanes, bicycles and even walking through the grocery store.
Cheeseburgers, pizza, beer and sex can be dangerous and, let's be honest, any
damned thing could give you cancer. You see, as Elvis Presley could attest, it
doesn't matter if you're taking risks, or taking a poop, if it's the day that
your name is scribbled in that book, then it won't matter what you’re doing at
the time, so you might as well be doing something that you enjoy, no matter how
"dangerous" it might be.
Don't be afraid. Life is full of
danger; it lurks around every corner. But it's far better to face danger
straight on, than let its sinister cousin, fear, rule you from within. If you
have faith, use good common sense and you take the necessary precautions to
stay as safe as possible, you'll experience things in this world that you will
cherish for the rest of your life. And when your God does call you home, maybe
you won't go with the regret that you didn't get on that bike and take that
ride.
Now, go out there and have an
adventure.
When you get back... share it with me in the comments.
