The Journey is an Adventure; I am an Alien: I Did A Thing

Wednesday, February 7, 2024

I Did A Thing

I did a thing on Monday.

It wasn't something I did without much thought, prayer, discernment, etc. In other words, it wasn't a spur-of-the-moment thing and it didn't come "out of nowhere". Now, if you don't know me well or are just getting to know me, you may not understand that this dream is not new. So, I'll share some of that here too.

But, you might want to know what "thing" I did, right?!

I bought a 2003 Honda Rebel 250.

It's not my first bike. In fact, it's my third. I have the "M" on my driver's license to denote I'm a motorcycle rider, too. I never let that go. I guess you might say that I never let the dream go of having another bike. For me, it was a "dream deferred". I was open and honest with the Holy One on that too. I said take away the desire. It had not gone away. You can read about "A Dream Deferred" here: A Dream Deferred from August 6, 2016.

I have been looking on and off for a while now. I was seriously considering a Honda Rebel 300 or 500, but then this 250 came across my path. It had a windshield and a sissy bar already, was used with low mileage, and was about 1/2 the price of the new one I was considering. That was important because we still have a college kid in his last semester of undergraduate school and that is a financial priority.

As I considered this Honda Rebel 250, I asked the owner some questions. Then, I asked my brother to go take a look at it with me on Monday. He knows bikes. I trust his judgement. If there were any red flags, he would let me know. I was ready to walk away from it or ride it home.

My brother test rode it after we checked it out. I test rode it after him. Everything was good for what I need and want at this time in my life. So, I bought it and rode it back to Dalton, where I will keep it, since I am there about 1/2 the week. (Thanks, bro!)

The ride from Cleveland, TN to Dalton, GA was about 30ish miles, maybe 33. I forgot to look at the odometer for exact mileage. I also didn't look at my time piece for when left and arrived, but I would say that with traffic, it was about a 40 minute ride.

It was a GREAT ride! The weather was in the 60s on Monday. Though it was a bit windy as it was getting later. I wore my riding jacket, a thick brown leather jacket. I had my riding gloves and my helmet. I also wore my Timberland boots that I used to always wear for riding.

Highway 60 getting out of Cleveland was a bit nerve wracking, as there was some traffic. I don't like traffic. The turn signals aren't as easy to push as my Yamaha 750, so it will take some practice. But, I navigated fairly decently.

I kept a good pace and stayed the speed limit. A trucker and a whole line of cars were glad when we hit the Georgia line and a secondary lane to the right. I pulled into the right lane and they all passed me. I was going the speed limit, but they were wanting to zip on to their destinations.

My goal isn't speed. My goal is enjoyment. I love to feel the wind "beneath my wings", so to speak. I enjoy being out on the back roads. I talk about being on two wheels as one of my spiritual practices. And, for me, it is. Anything that draws us closer to the One who Created us can be a spiritual practice. And riding a motorcycle became that for me.

To be back on one this past Monday filled a space within me.

It felt good to be back on the road. Another thing that confirmed it for me was the first time another motorcycle passed me in the opposite direction and gave me the "motorcycle wave". That felt so natural and awesome as I gave the wave in return. It's a feeling that isn't easy to describe, other than it felt right.

One of the reasons I wanted a 250 was because of my shoulders and hips. I went through a 3 year period of frozen shoulders and I have had hip replacement on one hip in 2015. I still need the other side replaced, but so far, so good. I needed a bike that I can hold up when I stop, that I can lift back up when it falls (it is bound to happen-- I dropped my Yamaha once in the University parking lot and needed help getting it upright). This bike is a perfect size for me and weight. I forgot to mention my height. I am one of those "short people", height challenged, so a lower to the ground seat is perfect for me. The Suzuki 650 and Yamaha 750 bikes that I previously had were perfect in that area too.

Monday's ride back to Dalton without any stops was a tad bit long for my hips, though they did well. I will need to figure out what length ride they can handle. I will also need to get back into my stretches.

If you want to see some photos of my Yamaha 750 Maxim, you can read the post I mentioned earlier "A Dream Deferred" from 2016. You can also read Two Wheels Again from May 28, 2015. It was great to get that bike fixed and going again. It was devastating for me when it kept breaking down every time I rode it home. So, I gave it away. For free. To the shop.

I don't know where photos are of the Suzuki 650. It's a bike that we bought when we lived on Long Island and brought down to TN. We rode it around Dayton, TN quite a bit. It wasn't working when we divorced (first marriage), so I got the bike. Then, we I got pregnant, I decided I shouldn't be riding anymore. So, I got it worked on and sold it.

Then, the desire to ride came on and a bike came my way. I rode my kiddo on it, commuted back and forth to the University where I taught on it, rode on back roads, took my kiddo to TaeKwonDo on it (wearing the gear bag over my shoulder), rode it to Howard High School when I went to tutor kids, etc. As I've mentioned, I rode that bike until it started having issues. It was an '81 model. Then, I took it to Chattanooga State and let them work on, stripping it down to a skeleton and rebuilding it.

Back in the saddle again, as they say. Now, I still have my two wheels bicycle and I will still be riding that. I got back into riding during the pandemic and will keep on riding those two wheels. That is just as much a spiritual practice, being in the wind, under tree canopy, time with the Creator.

On Monday, I posted some photos and this on my social media:

"So, I did a thing today.
I wore celebratory tie-dye to commemorate the occasion.
This rebel that you see in the photos is my 3rd bike. I have gone from a Suzuki 650 to a Yamaha 750 to this super cute Honda 250 Rebel. I rode it back to Dalton today from its home in Cleveland, TN. My first time back on a bike since my Yamaha died and I gave it away to a bike shop. I am super excited to live into this spiritual practice once again. You will probably see a blog post coming soon. #outdoortime #spiritualpractice #motorcycletime 🏍"

The celebratory tie-dye that I wore on Monday came from a shop that I have recently come to know: Schaffer's Creative Chaos-- Tie Dye. I have been wearing tie dye since I was a little tyke and have been adding to my collection over the years. Now I have some fresh pieces.

Oh, a couple more things about motorcycles...... I have ridden them since I was a kiddo. My Dad had them, so I grew up around them. I most likely mention that in some of the posts, somewhere. My Dad rode us on the bikes and he also had Enduro races at his campground. I have memories of riding. My brothers had a little Honda 70-- it was yellow-- that they rode at our family farm. I rode it some too. Our cousin Hank had a dirt bike in Tifton, GA and I rode it once. Unfortunately, I popped a wheelie (unintentionally) with a friend on the back and she got some exhaust pipe burn (as I remember the incident-- sorry!!!)

I share the above to let you know this is NOT any "mid-life" thing. This is me.

In fact, I did let go of my bucket list to jump out of a plane (sky-dive) for this 59th year celebration, in order to compromise for the bike. Yes, that was on my bucket list for this year. And, in case that seems odd to you, for my 49th, I went hang gliding-- a GREAT experience. I think I wrote about that too.