Something sad happened about a month ago. Something that instantly stopped my summer fun. My 2020 Harley motorcycle started spitting oil out the air filter after a 1/2 day ride. You don’t have to be a bike rider to know, this is bad. Fortunately it was under warranty.
I thought it would be an easy fix and so did the mechanics. Missing my summer fun and my ride, I went to visit my Harley girl after two weeks of being in the shop. I wanted to check on her status. They took me back to see her. It was so sad. She was all taken apart. The engine cavity was vacant. I know it’s only a motorcycle but it felt like I had walked into an operating room. I felt sad at what I saw before me. As I continued to look at her on the mechanic lift, I could see the dismembered engine neatly laid out in pieces. Everywhere I looked, there was a part of her engine laying there. Not put together and not working. They didn’t know what was wrong with her. They didn’t know how to fix her and didn’t know when they would have her put back together.
She only had 4000 miles on her and I missed riding her. All the rides in the past year came flashing back. So many smiles and so many stories. I realized, if I wanted to have adventures and time spent with my hubby this summer riding, I had to trade in my love of 2020 and find a new one. The sacrifice didn’t feel good. Nothing would be as good as my flat grey, blacked out, throaty sounding Harley girl. But I had to look or not ride. I needed a new bike fast. Continuing to ride was my only option.
Sure I could ride on the back of my husbands bike. But being a passenger isn’t the same. When I ride, I am in the moment. Every turn, every road surface, every smell, every sensation of hot or cold and the rythynm of the road and being present is a rush. It’s why I ride.
Riding is like life. To really enjoy the ride we have to be in the riders seat, not a passenger. We must be present. In our conversations, our intentions and our actions, be present. Being in flow with the path is essential for an enjoyable ride. There is a cadence to riding. There is a cadence to life. Rides take us on adventures. Life is an adventure. We must look what is in front of us. Looking back too long can make us wreck. Looking too far forward we don’t maneuver the road in front of us very well. It could cause an accident. Smiling at the rush of the ride is essential. Being engaged in life brings a smile. Go slow when needed and speed up when life opens up. When my bike broke, it was life telling me to do something different. When life suddenly changes, it’s life saying, try something different. A different choice, a different habit, improve a method or system. Stop and consider, how can I make this better. Shift your mindset.
I found my new bike. It is essentially the same bike with just a few changes. The color of course. It’s called billiard teal. It’s beautiful. My daughter says, “it’s so you mom.” The wheels are low profile which helps me carve and maneuver the road better. It’s the same engine, but, oh but it isn’t. It has some serious get up an go that my love of 2020 didn’t have. I can’t forget the exhaust. It’s a little more choppy. I love the sound. Even though there is no functionality, it makes it more fun to ride. The Harley girl of 2021 has causes several smile in only 500 miles so far.
When my Harley riding habit was asking me to upgrade to continue my summer adventures, I felt like I was making a sacrifice because my “old” Harley was really still new. Perhaps you are experiencing this right now. Life is asking you to upgrade and it feels like a sacrifice? There is always a sacrifice. But what if you were actually giving up something “not working” and “just ok” to something that is incredible? Would it be a sacrifice then?
My time spent riding my 2020 Harley made me a better rider. It was my first really big bike. My last year wasn’t wasted. The memories are many. I wanted to keep making them and ride down a lot more highways and see this beautiful land. But I couldn’t. Life said “no”. I have taken my new skills, you could say my skills have been upgraded in the last year, and now use them on my new bike. It’s a better machine to match my improved skills.
Could this be true for you? Have you upgraded your skills recently? Has your previous method or system told you “no”? Are you facing a brick wall? Is it time to upgrade your “machine” your system or methods? Maybe it’s your mindset to make your new skills create more of the life you want. Consider today, if life has told you you need a new machine, is it really a sacrifice. Accept the call to look and buy the fancy new bike. The machine you have to progress makes all the difference and it is way more fun!
Make the changes swiftly and get back on the road. Life won’t wait. Get going! Good things are waiting.
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