Thursday, September 2, 2004

BORN TO RUN

Yesterday Joe says to me, "I ordered a present for you!" Since he can not keep a secret I knew it would be only moments before he would tell me......"It's a helmet!"

I smiled while his words sunk into my brain and this thought rose from the depths of my consciousness, "Oh my God, he is planning to make me take motorcycle riding lessons....aghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!" He has been hinting about this since he purchased the bigger bike and kept the smaller one. Just this past weekend he told me how he had spotted a couple on he and she bikes and how it touched his heart.

He has not come out and said it in certain terms yet, but I feel it is going to happen. My thoughts reel back into history, when I was 12 or 13 years old. The gang of us were up at the back of the factory that was located very near our neighborhood. Due to an expansion to the plant, they were laying a new parking lot. We were all kids once. It is a well known fact that we can not keep kids away from an unattended construction site! There we all were riding our bikes around the mountains of large gravel.

"WATCH ME!" I'm sure I yelled out as I flew up the side of one mountain to jump over the top Evil Kieneivl style.......and lost control! Wiped out! I fell and the bike came down on my FACE! (Naturally). I had received this bike as a Christmas present when I was six years old. It was rather large for a first grader, but I would grow into it. It was the only bike I had until college. The hand grips were all but worn off. The exposed metal of the handle bar slammed into my face, sliced the skin under my bottom lip and went right through it as if it were butter and chipped my bottom teeth!

As I picture myself on a motorcycle, I only see myself with my hands strapped across the engines. To actually be shifting gears and oh my God, changing lanes..... I know I will have to put all my fears aside and do it for LOVE.

P.S. Mom ame home from the hospital on Tuesday afternoon.  She will have one of those colon tests on Wednesday, Sept 8th...Her Birthday!!

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Got an icky feeling in my stomach as you were describing your bicycle accident.  Ewww!
Good luck to your mom!

Anonymous said...

All the romance in the world, all the tea in china would not get me on a motorcycle. You are brave. Be very very careful!

Anonymous said...

Hey my moms birthdya is sept 8th how neat. We are both from ky and have moms b dyas on the 8th. You be careful on the motercyle Lori

Anonymous said...

Oh what memories this brings back. The last time I was on the back of a bike, I was 17 yrs. old and had a hairdo that required lots of teasing or back combing, as we called it. We went to the local drive-in restaurant and he turned to look at me. I recall looking like the Bride of Frankenstein. Only my pride was hurt. OUCH!

Anonymous said...

Glad your mother is home.  I think that once you get used to it, you'll have a blast on a motorcycle, but I'd be very nervous too.  I can just see the Knevel move now.

Anonymous said...

Yea, MOm....Happy Birthday.
V

Anonymous said...

Acccccccccck! Terrified of motorcycles. Couldn't do it for love or money. : )
Hope mom is fine and Happy Birthday to her in advance.

Angela

Anonymous said...

I hope your mom's all right, I'll be thinking about her.

When I was a teenager, my boyfriend at the time had a motorcycle.  He came over to my house once when my crazy redneck uncle happened to be visiting.  Of course, my uncle wanted to try out the bike, and of course, the poor guy I was dating had to say yes.  My uncle got on the bike, revved it up, and proceeded to crash into my next door neighbor's car.  It still cracks me up to think about it...everything turned out okay, but I haven't been on a bike since.

D has been hinting at wanting one for a few years, now...at least he hasn't taken that next step and bought me a helmet! Have fun!

Anonymous said...

I keep having this fantasy myself of zipping through traffic to various jobs on a cute little motor cycle ... but I ain't got no one to teach me and no clue how to do it.  Good grief, I'm in my 40's, shouldn't I be slipping into tennis shoes rather than leather boots?

But, you gonna do it for LOVE???  Do it for love then, just ride below the speed limit, complain, complain, complain about how slow the bike is compared to his - and just maybe, he'll let you off the hook ... for LOVE, of course.  Race

Anonymous said...

I have always been scared ****less of motorcycles.  I'm with Angela...I wouldn't do it for love OR money!  I can't even stand to ride my bike as fast as it goes...  Lisa  :-]

Anonymous said...

hang in there!!!!!! Hugs for the weekend, judi

Anonymous said...

I loved riding my scooters, the old Aero 80 and the 250 cc Honda Elite, but it's true I lost confidence a bit after one too many minor accidents (broke a tooth at midnight leaving a parking lot in 1987, when the bike went out from under me due to some unseen piece of gravel).  Still, I would not have given it up if the bike hadn't been damaged when some idiot had not jumped a curb and knocked it over where it was parked overnight.  I can't afford to replace all those expensive plastic parts!

You can do this, if you want to do this.  You have to be careful, and watch out for cars that don't watch out for you. But it's probably worth it. - Karen

Anonymous said...

Guard your dreams and visions....and your teeth.

Anonymous said...

OOOOOHHHH I'm so jealous. I would love to learn to ride a motorcycle. I think it would be great fun. However, the thought of crashing and burning does hold me back from actually pursuing the idea. :-) ---Robbie

Anonymous said...

You are so lucky to have someone who loves your company so much that he wants to include you in a big part of his life. Riding for most of us is as important as breathing. Learning to ride is no harder than any other skill. The hardest part is kicking your fears to the curb. I wanted my own motorcycle cause I loved riding all my life and I got tired of always getting left behind. I took the Motorcycle Safety course because no one would teach me on their own bike. I was so terrified of crashing that I almost didn't show up for class. Everyone, especially the instructors, were so nice. No one in the class of 2 women and 6 guys really knew a thing about riding. I graduated without a hitch. What a great boost for my self esteem. I hope you do give it a chance. Riding together with someone you love is so fantastic.  Just Jo

Anonymous said...

Consider yourself lucky!  I'm in the opposite boat, my husband wants to keep me from riding again after an UNLICENSED MALE biker caused me to wreck.  
The guy was showing off, lost control of the brand new harley he had borrowed to ride, the bike went under an oncoming gravel truck, he walked away.  As the gravel truck passed me the bike dislodged and hit me, front impact.  I had no gear on, only shorts and a tshirt (hubby said we didn't have 'time for that crap').  I was doing 70 mph when I went sailing over the handlbars.  
It's now been just over 5mths since the wreck. Most of the 17 shattered bones on my left side have started to mend.  I was in a wheelchair for 3 mths, used a walker for 6 wks, and now am starting to walk again on my own.
Moral of the story....I can't wait to ride again!!!  And if it comes down to chosing between my husband and my bike, the bike WILL win out.  I supported him through a motorcycle wreck and work accident, both resulting in surgeries, I only ask the same from him in return.
People can be killed in cars, trains, planes, by lightning, basically anything but we all still ride or drive in cars, occassionally travel by plane, hell even by ship after the Titanic sank.  With precaution, and in my case 'luck', you'll live through most catastrophies, don't let anything stop you.
Even considering my wreck, the only thing I'd change is that I would have let my husband leave without me while I took the time to get my gear on.
I've got a website with pics and more indepth info about my wreck, just email me if anyone's interested.  Now for all you gals reading this that ride your own bike, GO take a ride for me! :)     Celinda