Keep Moving
The scooter and motorcycle stand in the garage. Quiet. Unused. The battery may be dead in my camera and I’m hoping the chipmunks haven’t gnawed on my helmet lining. I feel a long way from riding right now. I’m frozen in place, lost in thought, disconnected from the things I love. It’s often this way as autumn approaches. Perhaps the sun’s energy patterns change and affect the ways neurons fire in my brain. Or sensing the approach of cold weather I just begin to shut down.
Or so it seems. Doing nothing, accomplishing nothing, frozen in place.
The truth is somewhat different. I’ve been riding the Vespa and the K75. A lot. And I’ve made many photographs. Have my darkroom running as well in support of another project. Five rolls of film are hanging downstairs awaiting contact proofing.
And I’ve been reading. And watching Netflix. Watched Inside Bill’s Brain, the documentary series on Bill Gates. Thinking about global warming and the role of nuclear power. Specifically the Traveling Wave Reactor. And each morning the dogs drag me into the world.
But I feel frozen in place despite evidence to the contrary. A storm front is moving in. I hear thunder. Otherwise I would tell myself, “You need to go for a ride.”
Sometimes things are just strange.
Full flounder ahead.
It sounds like you have a lot going on.
My to do list is long.
I’ve found Steve that just like my bike, I find myself and life in neutral sometimes. The bike is idling (and so am I) but not moving forward. I’m just there. At some point, metaphorically speaking you’ll twist the throttle grip again.
So true. But I’ve been idling a LONG time. Need to start twisting the throttle.
Yes, the sooner the better! Two wheels good!
The autumn landscape is lovely now. The leaves are at the pinnacle of color and I’ve been out on foot, on the Vespa and with the BMW to witness it all. At some point I’ll share some things. Right now I’m still wandering…
On the subject of going nowhere, fast or slow: I had an interesting 205+ mile odyssey in my desire to explore New Jersey’s Pine Barrens, where, on account of failing to download my route to my phone as a fail-safe in the event of losing signal (think I’d know this by now…). Whether on the bike or off, sometimes “going nowhere” is actually a way of getting somewhere you need to be.
The Pine Barrens have achieved an almost mystical quality in my mind beginning at some early traverse of that region with my mother in the 1960s. A ride as you describe must have been great. I hope to someday get down that way on my scooter or motorcycle.
Being GPS-less and map-less can be a wonderfully exciting time. And no matter where you are you’ll always get somewhere. Now if I were in the West or in Alaska I would feel differently about being lost. But New Jersey? We’ll be fine!
Frozen in place or a severe case of ennui? Perhaps a trip out west…..yeah, that’s the ticket.
Definitely a severe case of ennui. And it’s already autumn!! A trip out West won’t fix it. Where ever I go, I’ll still be there. Same brain. Same problem. Need to just do some work. Work.
Wait until I retire and we show up on your doorstep. Ennui be damned.
I’ll keep the light on for you! I’ve been riding and making photographs consistently but my writing voice has abandoned me. I just don’t seem to have anything to say…
I’ve missed your musings; I hope all is well with you and yours.
Life is going well. We’re all enjoying the autumn landscape. I’ve just lost my musings voice. I keep at it though and at some point something will emerge.