Preparing for the Future

What does the future hold?  There is a part of us that would like to know so that mistakes could be avoided.  In packing my saddlebags I am anticipating the worst, hoping for the best, and pray that I may find happiness in my choices whatever the reality is to be.  Looking to the future usually causes varying degrees of fear; fear triggers caution.  Fear/caution is a protective reflex - but, as with anything, too much fear/caution will get you into as much trouble as acting with reckless abandon.  I fear riding in rain.  I packed my rain gear - check.  Waterproof boots - check.  Tires are good - check.  If it rains, I know what I have to do on the road.  Preparation will, hopefully, reduce fear which will make for a safe ride.

I am all packed with electronics, clothes, toiletries, protective clothing, bike cleaning materials, passport, and all required official papers.  So, what is to fear?  Easy question: mostly people (drivers, etc).   But gravel/sand, blowouts, and most of all, darting deer are matters of concern.  In preparing for the future, I can control myself - and take whatever life deals me.  Cautious confidence in those things I am able to control.  That is what makes this trip and adventure.

Tomorrow I am off!

Comments

  1. UnknownJune 7, 2018 at 10:19 AM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownJune 7, 2018 at 10:22 AM

    Hope my third attempt at this goes better than the first two! I think its fair to assume we agree that fear is just a knee-jerk reaction to the thought of undesirable events occurring in the future. You have prepared yourself well for the journey, practically and psychologically it seems. You are ready to confront "BEING" itself. Godspeed!

    ReplyDelete
  3. UnknownJune 7, 2018 at 10:23 AM

    Oh, and thanks for sharing the journey with us!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Reality Check Tour 2022: Contrast in Cultures: Florida to Vermont

Image
  It has been one week, today, since I left Boca Raton, Florida.  Driving up to Sanford (Orlando area), Florida to catch the Amtrak Auto Train to Lorton, Virginia, the heat was almost suffocating.  I thought the heat was bad in Florida, but nothing topped the heat from Lorton to Damascus, Maryland - especially in bumper to bumper traffic in 98 degree weather. A sea of humanity in metal cages (i.e., cars) on Highway 15 from Leesburg, VA to Frederick, MD.  I used my "motorcycle card" by zipping past miles of standstill traffic via the shoulder.  I justified it by a legitimate rationalization: I am exposed to heat without the luxury of air conditioning that was enjoyed by those in cars.  A typically 1.5 hour ride took me 4 hours.  I arrived in Damascus to attend Janis' family reunion - a great first 2 day stop filled with fun and human interaction. Amtrak Tamara, my host while on the Auto Train.  She has three boys; the oldest is 29 years old and who...
Read more

Reality Check Tour 2022: Laramie, WY to Breckenridge, CO; Photo Gallery

Image
Dillon, Colorado - With Janis, Bob & Nancy Levy - E-Bikes The first leg of my tour is at a close; 6000 miles in a month.  I drove from Laramie, WY to Steamboat Springs, CO, then to visit the Edelmans in Beaver Creek, CO, and then to Breckenridge, CO where I will stay until October 1, 2022.  The second leg for my tour will begin on October 1 - when I will travel through New Mexico, Texas, the deep South, ending back to where I began in Florida. I want to thank Reed & Cathy Edelman for their hospitality while in Beaver Creek.  One other highlight of my trip from Laramie to Breckenridge was Seedz Restaurant in Steamboat Springs: my favorite place to eat in Colorado.  If you are in that neck of the woods, you must stop for either lunch or dinner; or, in my case, dinner & lunch :). Google it! Since this is my last tour post until October, I thought I would add a few photos that did not make it into the blog thus far: Acadia from Lincoln Mountain, ME Acadia, ME...
Read more

Emptiness Tour 2021: Only In Texas: White Sands, NM to Marfa, TX

Image
  Outside Valentine, TX 33 Miles from Marfa I explored White Sands National Park and ran across a BBQ party in the middle of the Sands: It was getting late (around 11:30 am), so I hightailed it out or White Sands and headed to Marfa.  I took the long route over the mountains to the east so that I could take a look at a resort called Cloudcroft, NM.  Here is a video of what I saw on the way to the mountains: I stopped in Cloudcroft for lunch, and I met a fellow biker, Scotty Gordy, a City Commissioner from Lovington, TX.  We talked about economic development and what could be done in his fair city.  We then road together to Artesia, NM, where I headed south on my way to Marfa. The ride through the Guadalupe Mountains, in Texas, was thrilling.  I never knew these mountains existed: As I got near Marfa, TX I noticed a group of people standing next to a building - as it turns out this was the famous Prada store in the middle of the Texas desert: The two in the ...
Read more