How to Live Your Life or Ride a Motorcycle
I first got my motorcycle license when I was 16, many leather jackets ago. With the years that have passed, I’ve realized there are life lessons to be learned from riding. Now that my children are teenagers and approaching their own driving (and life) experiences, I’ll attempt to impart my wisdom so that they will proceed to live an upstanding and fulfilling life. Yes, I’m a bit of a dreamer.
Here are my lessons on how to live your life — or ride a motorcycle. It’s the same list.
The world is yours to explore — but preparation helps. Motorcycles are all about venturing out and exploring. The most magical adventures occur when you are carefree, confident and open to possibilities. That said, true confidence comes from knowing what the hell you’re doing. So practice and prepare, gear up and let the journey begin.
Look where you’re going, not where you’ve been. On a motorcycle, and in life, it’s easy to get fixated on something in your immediate surroundings. It may be a beautiful house or jogger or pothole… but if you stare at it, you will head towards it. So look where you want to go and you’ll go where you look!
Commit to the turn. Many roads are long and winding. They can come upon you fast and unexpected. Slow down BEFORE the turn. Once you’re in it, you’re committed. Don’t panic or brake — you’ll skid and go down. Remember: there is no reverse in life or on a motorcycle. And, oh yeah, please don’t ride in shorts.
Be prepared for someone to cut you off. Because they will. Sometimes it’s because they’re moving too fast, sometimes it’s because they’re having a bad day, and sometimes they just don’t see you. In any case, anticipate the assholes.
If you have to slam on your brakes, stay upright and look straight ahead. By now you know that we can’t (and shouldn’t) control other people. This means that sometimes others will make bad decisions. You will have to brake to avoid getting tangled in their mess. Keep your cool. The bike may fishtail, but ride it out.
You will be judged by how you look. When you pull up somewhere on a motorcycle, people may judge who you are, what you’re doing, why you’re there. They will probably be wrong in a lot of their assessments, but also right about a few. (No, I’m not a lesbian — though some of my best friends are. Yes, the bike is mine.) We all make snap judgements — part of this is survival skills. Accept that you will be judged.
Wave hello to strangers. I love being part of a collective group of motorcycle enthusiasts. There are 8.4 million registered motorcycles in the U.S. and almost all riders wave to each other when passing on the road. Apparently this was started in 1904 by Harley-Davidson partners Arthur Davidson and William Harley. Their greeting was noted by a passerby and believed to be etiquette. The “motorcycle wave” gives me a feeling of connectedness and reminds me that fundamentally we are all just human beings… seeking adventure, quiet moments, fresh air.
The world is too much with us. This is a quote from one of my favorite poems and one of the reasons I love riding. As of now (high tech helmets be damned), it’s not possible to check email, text or readily be available when you’re on a motorcycle. Riding soothes the soul and is a meditation like no other. I love that I can check out of life for a while simply by saying “I’m about to hop on the bike.”
The world is too much with us; late and soon,
Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers;
Little we see in Nature that is ours;
We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!
This Sea that bares her bosom to the moon;
The winds that will be howling at all hours,
And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers,
For this, for everything, we are out of tune;
It moves us not. — Great God! I’d rather be
A pagan suckled in a creed outworn;
So might I, standing on this pleasant lea,
Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn;
Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea;
Or hear old Triton blow his wreathèd horn.
- William Wordsworth, 1770–1850
