The final 3 lessons motorcycling taught me about life

We say that every motorcyclist is an amateur meteorologist. Forecasts and radar are consulted for days in advance of a ride, and watched even more closely over breakfast while on the road. The virtues and limitations of various apps are argued over, and consensus is finally reached: we can’t go that way today.

Sometimes mechanical breakdowns, road closures, illness…any of these things can cause plans to change.

I am, by nature, a planner. My motorcycle catchphrase is “Just In Case”. I’m the guy who brings a full EMS kit on my bike every time I ride. I could splint a broken bone, or stop an arterial bleed with Hemostat powder…it’s all in my first aid kit! I make a spreadsheet of all the hotels we’ll be staying in, with checkmarks for whether breakfast is included, or what parking will cost.

So motorcycling reminds me to be more flexible. You have to take things as they come, and change course if needed. Nothing ever goes completely to plan.

On several occasions over the years, I’ve ridden almost 1600 kms in one day. I am not the most patient person (see my previous blogs). And I get by without a lot of sleep. But having dozed off at 120 km/h in Iowa once (thank God the roads are perfectly straight for 100 miles at a time), I realized I had to get off the bike and have a breather.

Motorcycling reminds you that you should rest when you’re tired. This may sound obvious, but most of us are so overloaded with work, maybe kids, or aging parents, that we’re running out of gas all the time. We need a reminder to take some time out, before we crash out.

Coming home from a ride is a melancholy moment - the ride is over, but what a memory of it you’ll have. To be with friends, or enjoy just your own company, to be in nature, to work on a skill. Just to ride is a blessing. Motorcycling reminds me to be thankful.

Enjoy everything this life has to offer. It’s the only one you get.