What Is The Ultimate Motorcycle Journey?

I am one who tends to live in the moment as much as possible. It's difficult and even painful sometimes to look into my future. Many of you may find yourself in the same fix, a ride unrealized. Imagine if you could ride anywhere, what would your ultimate motorcycle journey be?

I'm almost 51 and still raising young children, 2 girls and a boy. The last one won't graduate from High School until I'm about 61. Even though I'm somewhat old to have such young kids. I wouldn't change a thing. I love them and my wife beyond measure. However, it's a stretch right now for me to imagine a wonderful future. Following a failed attempt at self-employment and subsequent under employment, I have no retirement to look forward to. I have no savings, and am just eking out an existence with the job I now have.

There is a ray of hope, I have discovered Blogging. Blogging is something I have found that I immensely enjoy. It's a way that I can provide what I hope to be a valuable service to my readers. Blogging is also a step in the direction towards my life long dream of working as a writer. I have taken an important step, from dream to intention.

Many of my fantasy rides at this point however are just that, a fantasy. If today doesn't change, tomorrow will be the same. Presently I have neither the time nor funds to go on some of the rides I had been dreaming of, rides that I want to take in my lifetime. Still it doesn't hurt to dream, but dreaming or wishing isn't enough to make a fantasy reality. What makes reality is a goal, an intention, action.

There are plenty of self-help gurus out there that claim you get what you expect and what you can perceive you can achieve. That making a goal, hard work, and even using positive affirmations, creative visualization and meditation will get you the results you want. I am here to tell you those things and other techniques and practices certainly increase the chances of your success.

Nothing is a certainty however, there are no fool proof secrets. There is an unknown factor, a mystery to life, if you don't succeed at some endeavor or the the other it's not always your fault. Thinking that it is, can lead to lots of problems like low self-esteem, guilt, resentment and disappointment.

Just drifting with the current, landing where one lands is fine if you're living a very simple life with no pretensions and no responsibilities. However if you live in modern society, you need to pay the rent and eat and possibly provide for others. Living in modern times takes money and lots of it.

To best increase (remember no sure fire guarantees) our chances of being able to do so is to have a goal and work at it. One needs to keep that goal in the forefront of their consciousness so as not to get off the path. However it is equally important to be open to the possibility of a change in plans. Many a missed opportunity for something even better happens when one becomes too focused on the goal. Like the horse wearing blinders, it's easy to fail to see other even better possibilities. It's also the road we are on that really matters the most, not the destination.

So here are my motorcycle ride fantasies that I want to achieve in my lifetime: I would like to take a U.S. coast to coast ride from Pacific to Atlantic and back.
I would also like to see Europe again. This time on a bike. Back in the early 1980s I was stationed at Stuttgart, Germany while in the Army. I was fortunate to have a chance to see some of Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Belgium, and England. I want to see more and I want to re-visit some of the best places.

I want to be able to do more exploring by motorcycle in my own backyard. Oregon is vast and diverse, I have only scratched the surface of all there is to see right here in my home state. I am fortunate to live in Salem, conveniently located roughly 50 miles to the Pacific Coast, 50 miles to Portland, 50 miles to the Cascade Mountains and the High Desert beyond. All are an easy day trip away. I don't do enough of those.

Those fantasy rides are not likely to happen unless I make it my intention. Then, I have a chance. My future could be bright, with the intention to make it so and the action to back it up. A fantasy is weak, a dream is a little stronger and hope a little stronger yet. A goal is strong and an intention even stronger, but none are any good without action.

So there you have it, my ultimate motorcycle journeys in a nutshell. Writing this post has been a good reminder to myself that I need to start making goals again, stay hopeful about the future (because what's the alternative? Depression? Giving up?), be open to change, and expect that my intentions will be realized. At the same time however, keeping in mind that there is an unknown element to life and things don't always work out the way we want or expect them to.

When I was younger I used to think about riding aimlessly around America, ending up wherever I end up. To be alone and free of responsibility and not stay in any particular place for too long. That's all changed now; I have a family and friends to go back to. Maybe that's what the ultimate motorcycle journey is, the ride home.
Copyright 2007 N.(Kano)Miles - Kano's eCoffee House

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