You know how you leave your computer on for hours, days, even weeks at a time. You install new programs, uninstall old ones, search the web, watch videos, read email, and download updates until your computer becomes so slow that you wonder if an abacus wouldn't be faster. At this point you scroll down to that little window icon and ask your computer to do a soft reboot, hoping and praying that this action will clear out all of the cobwebs from your technological wonder and restore it to its youthful vigor. You wait cautiously during that pregnant pause where your computer is silent until it kicks back on, the fan vibrating away, the upgrades installing and then... The home home screen.
I find myself in that "pregnant pause" phase of my life. I hit the soft reboot switch about 11 o'clock yesterday morning when I hopped on the motorbike and hit the highway for an 11 day road trip. After a very long year filled with 18 hour work days between two jobs, moves, and so much more I can't remember most of it, the time had come to hit that reboot button. This time thankfully it is a soft reboot, not the hard reboot that started his blog a year and a half ago.
The bike and the road was calling my name. So I am now cruising the highways, wind in my.....helmet, clearing out the cobwebs. From Calgary to Victoria to Telegraph Cove to Jasper and then home. No time line. No schedule. I am where I am when I am there.
Once I return home it will be time to install the upgrades. Out goes the teaching software and midnight shift software as I upgrade into a new - regular hour work week position. I will still keep some of the old software like blacksmithing version 2 and farrier version 2.5 as software like this is always useful and fun but I will be upgrading to writing version 3.0 since obviously, from the lack of posts on this blog in a while, crashed at some point.
If you see me and the lovely woman with me at one of our stops feel free to stop and chat with us. We hit Banff yesterday (which is just basically a high-end Calgary mall where you pay more for less) and spent the night in Golden which is a nice little town. Great food and people were found in a restaurant (whose name I can't remember) in a log building in front of the Century house - and by great food I mean really great!
Today I am making my way to Langley. Maybe I will meet some of you on the way
Cruising with your motorbike with no definite timeline, traveling from Calgary to Victoria to Telegraph Cove to your home, just to clear the cobwebs in your mind can be an excellent way of overcoming your emotions. On my part, I don’t just see my motorbike as a means of transportation, but also as a tool for revitalizing my life. Whenever I have spare time, I use my motorbike to travel without any definite destination. I reminisce and remember old memories, think of my accomplishments, and make plans for my future. I consider my motorbike not only as my travel companion, but also as my emotional outlet.
ReplyDeleteI can definitely relate with riding your bike out on a long trip to clear your mind. There’s nothing quite like the roar of the engine as it hums underneath you, and the wind whipping at your face to remind you of the simple joys in life. Our “soft reboot” should always be our “happy place,” and your happy place just happens to be at the handles of a moving motorbike. Anyone who’s gone through as much stress as you deserves some “me” time, definitely.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with this post, and with Max’s comment. There’s something so intimate and personal about riding on a motorbike. It’s literally just you, the bike, the road and a few meager possessions, mostly stuff you need instead of stuff you want. The bike is open; you can see and hear everything around you. It’s definitely a good way to just stop and appreciate the simple things in life, and get a “reboot”.
ReplyDeleteClare and Max hit it right on the spot, when they talked about the riding being an intimate and personal experience. And yes, we all should take some time for ourselves, and do the things that we know can help us relax. And, I think it’s great that yours is riding your motorcycle.
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