Chaos and Procrastination
Despite the march of years I continue to ride through the winter. The goal is to ride all five machines in the garage at least once every two weeks for at least 15 miles. Enough time to drive the moisture from the oil, keep the batteries alive, and make room for periodic transfusions of fuel. It was much easier when all I had was the Vespa. I wonder about the wisdom of multiple machines this time of year. Or if I should “winterize” a couple. It becomes a chaotic swirl of thoughts in my head that can lead to procrastination and eventually a full stop in activity. I find myself feeling frozen in place.
If only it was limited to scooters and motorcycles.
Holiday Nostalgia
Christmas doesn’t feel right anymore. I have expectations of it being like it was when I was a kid. Watching old movies and a Charlie Brown Christmas doesn’t bring it back. Just end up feeling frozen in place. Without motivation to do much of anything. Riding or otherwise.
My friend Paul gave me an Easy Rider poster to put up in the garage. It has a festive feel.
The Good Kind of Frozen
Motion. Movement. Whether on two wheels or two feet, it can break me free of the feeling of being frozen in place. The dogs and I begin each day with time in the garden, me walking a meandering circuit through the property for 30 to 60 minutes in the morning. Sometimes we hit the 10 thousand step mark by lunchtime.
On those frigid mornings with temperatures in the teens I find a slow thaw to being frozen in place. My old body begins to limber and my mind soon follows.
It’s my mind that has been giving me problems. And specifically, why I have not been able to post much here anymore. I’ve lost my way.
The Real Issue of Being Frozen in Place
I’ve lost sight of why I post to a blog. This blog. I had forgotten it was for purely self-centered reasons — a diary of my life on two wheels. A place to collect images and memories. An online journal to dissect the things that vex me. But somewhere along the way I started to think I needed to make things better. More professional. Timely. Good. Of value to someone other than me.
And that has left me frozen in place.
A self-hosted WordPress site requires maintenance. And providing email updates might soon incur a cost. And that led me to thinking I should switch to SubStack. And my head began to spin. Only recently did someone say to me, “Forget all that stuff. Just post to your blog as it is. If you hit an email limit screw it. Stop making it available that way. You are doing this for yourself. Who cares if someone has to come visit your page to see new content. Or if anyone comes at all.”
And almost immediately I was free from the ice. I’m doing this for me. I just want a place to post stuff as it seems like I should. No need to write long essays. Just a photo and a few words if I want. Like I did in the beginning.
I often look back in time to see what I was doing. Where I was riding. How I was riding. And the posts were “clean” and unencumbered by thoughts of doing it right.
I’m going back there. Here. Now. I’m no longer frozen in place.
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Many a time have I felt the same mental freeze, the same writing freeze. Totally understandable. And like you, the solution for me has always been to return to the beginning and do what I used to do… for me, not for an audience. It really does work.
Thanks for the reminder!
You understand the dilemma. The solution sounds simple but man I resist the implementation.
Currently transitioning from Mail Chimp to Jet Pack for email notifications. It’s already making my brain itch.
Steve,
I read Frozen in Place with that rare feeling of reading someone thinking out loud — and actually listening to himself.
One line stayed with me: “It was much easier when all I had was the Vespa.”
Because sometimes that’s exactly it. Not just with motorcycles, but with life as a whole. When there were fewer things, fewer decisions, fewer layers between us and the simple act of getting on the road.
Writing works the same way. Writing can be everything — the act that reveals who we are, and then, over time, the blog starts feeding us back. As if each post were a quiet reminder saying, “Look, this is who you are. And it’s okay to be this way.”
Having a blog helps us draw ourselves more clearly.
Maybe that’s why it hurts when we start thinking we have to “do it right,” “do it well,” “do it for others.” Authenticity doesn’t survive obligation for very long.
I found it beautiful the moment you realized the problem wasn’t the cold, or winter, or too many machines — but losing sight of the original reason. And even more beautiful that you went back there without drama, without a manifesto. Just: Here. Now.
If it was simpler when there was only the Vespa, maybe the question isn’t technical, but existential. Sometimes less isn’t giving up — it’s making room to move again.
Thank you for writing this. Not because it’s useful, but because it’s true.
And that, oddly enough, is what ends up helping others the most.
Best,
Daniel
I often find myself dreaming of a simpler approach to life, an embrace of some form of minimalism but man it seems to require more courage and grit than I can muster. It continues to amaze me how connected I can become to stuff. With riding I just want to go. At least I’m keeping that part simple.
You’ve hit the nail on the head in regard to how “obligation” kind of wrecks things. I’m struggling to return to that simpler, more innocent approach to writing.
I only have 1600 subscribers but it looks as if I will have to abandon them in terms of email notifications unless I am willing to pay to maintain them. And I am now using a free subscription service I can only upload 100 contacts. To add the other 1500 I would have to have a paid account.
So I am just going to forge ahead. If people want to follow they can resubscribe. I’ll just focus on the blog for what it is and just be myself. Full flounder ahead!
Steve,
That “full flounder ahead” line made me smile — because it already sounds like freedom sneaking back in.
On the practical side (and only because it might remove one small stone from your shoe): on my own blog I don’t use a newsletter platform at all. I rely on rssby.email. It simply turns the RSS feed into email subscriptions, no lists to manage, no caps that suddenly turn into invoices, no sense of “owing” anything to anyone. People subscribe, people unsubscribe, and the blog just… stays a blog.
What I like most is that it keeps things proportionate. The writing stays the centre. The rest is plumbing — quiet, invisible, and mercifully boring.
But beyond tools, I think you’re already doing the right thing. Choosing “I’ll just go” over “I must maintain.” Writing the way riding works best: helmet on, engine warm, no audience in your head.
If some people fall off along the way, that’s not abandonment — it’s the natural shape of movement. The ones who stay are the ones who were really riding with you anyway.
Keep it simple. Keep it yours. The innocence tends to come back when we stop chasing it.
All the best,
Daniel
When the blog was still on Blogger I used the RSS feed subscription process you highlight. It doesn’t work so smoothly with a self-hosted WordPress site. Part of me wishes I never left Blogger but I was irked that I did not own or control my own content. Blogger could shutdown and everything would just be gone. That prompted the move. So the plumbing is no longer quiet and invisible. And it’s not boring but something I never fully embraced.
Jetpack is doing the work of notifications now. It’s free with no limits. I just can’t upload my list. So people will have to subscribe again.
I want writing, photography, and thoughts while riding to stay at the center. Time will tell. I’ll just keep things as simple as possible.
I follow your blog using rssby.email.
1. I sent an email to add@rssby.email
2. In the body, I wrote: https://scooterinthesticks.com/ (the service automatically finds the RSS feed)
3. In the subject line: I left it blank (but it’s possible to specify the time to receive emails).
It’s been working beautifully with your blog!
Blogger isn’t going away, especially since Google is currently adding new beta features. Blogger is an interesting historical archive. And it’s being reborn as people become saturated with social networks.
That’s interesting. Something must have changed since I attempted it years ago.
For now I am just going to forget about it and let people subscribe through JetPack since I have that feature. All this makes my brain itch.
Perfect. As soon as something, a hobby, a blog, a YT channel….becomes a burden, a “job”..it can quickly stop being a fun, personal outlet. My YT channel did that to me, so I simply started posting when I felt like posting, not to keep it monetized, or any mind numbing algorithm concerns.
You’re right. I don’t want to have this blog or YouTube become an obligation. While I value the people who read, watch, and comment, I am not creating stuff for them. It’s still for me. Easy to loose sight of that though.
Thanks for taking the time to comment. I appreciate it.
Good on you, Steve. I’ve enjoyed your blog and later your YouTube films for years. They mean even more to me as I age. I am 50 and ride a 26 year old BMW. What even is a SubStack? Some sort of speaker system?
Take care,
Paul
Thanks for reading, watching and commenting Paul.
Your BMW is about the same age as my 1992 BMW K75 would be now if I hadn’t sold it a few years ago. I hope you’re having fun with your BMW.
SubStack is a commercial writing platform. And it’s free. There are a lot of reasons I should use it but I have so much content here now that this just feels like home to me. So I’ll stick it out here.
I’ve enjoyed your content both here and on YT for many years now. It’s been grand. But I do feel your pain. One thing that always seems to be a contradiction to me is the phrase “I write for myself.” If that’s the case, why have a blog on the internet at all? Just keep a journal – for yourself. I write a blog as well, keeping it simple and not focused on anything but my own personal observations and ruminations. But I’d be lying to myself and others if I said “I write only for myself.” I write for others to read, but my focus is NOT building an audience. Whoever comes along can read it it they’d like, and I’d like them to read it. Or see what I’ve created on Youtube or Peertube. Good luck and best wishes for the new year!
PS – I probably won’t re-subscribe, but simply grab the RSS feed and get notified that way. You might think about adding a link to your RSS feed in the re-subscribe notification post you’ve written.
Another reader suggested the same. I added a note about the RSS feed to the post so anyone savvy enough can go that route.
Good question about writing for myself. For me, the blog works well because of the photographs. If it were text only I would stick to my Moleskine journals. I do write in a journal but those words are far more personal in introspective. The blog has allowed me to track and gather rides and questions while riding with the occasional diversion into photography and dogs.
The question about whether I write for others to read. I had to think about that for a moment. I don’t begin at the page wondering what people want to read. It’s still what I want to think or talk about. But it is gratifying that sometimes someone finds some value in what I share. So writing for myself is likely diluted. And like you, I didn’t set out to build an audience. That has happened organically. Even with YouTube.
For now I’ll muck along into the new year. Best wishes for you to have a good one!
Steve – keep the faith my friend … write for yourself, it’s why lots of us decided to subscribe to Scooter in the Sticks (millions of) years ago. As soon as it becomes an obligation, it loses the joy, interest or whatever mojo made it worthwhile.
All the best to you and your loved ones in 2026,
Dave
Thanks Dave for the kind and supportive words. I appreciate them.
It feels freeing to just be able to post my thoughts and pictures. I hope you and yours have a great New Year!
I’m your age Steve I mostly only do selfish stuff for me these days, except for a few causes I do volunteer work at..I loved the Easy Rider poster you have proudly displayed in your nice room at home. 82° on Christmas day here in Central Texas. Went on a nice ride in shorts and a t shirt. Cold weather ain’t for me .Thanks for all the posts since I found your site in 2015 ..Take care and keep your eye on the prize… Don Etheredge
Selfish or self care. Hard for me to tell the difference sometimes. Each morning I try to keep an eye on balance in my life and discern the line between the things that are important and those that aren’t. Riding keeps showing up in the important side.
My friend Paul always seems to find something that strikes a chord. That easy rider poster reminds me of my youth where moto-fantasy was rampant. I’m glad I never went down the chopper or biker road though. I don’t think it would have been good for me.
I smiled reading 82°. I could use some of that. The temperature is dropping here to 20F, it’s starting to snow, and it’s windy with 55 MPH gusts. Miserable stuff.
Thanks for taking the time to comment. I appreciate what you share.
I can relate about blog writing. I have a sparsely read one for about fifteen years. It has sunk down to my writing about the events I ride. The problem is that the story line is always the same. I ride there, I do the event and I ride home. Occasionally I mention some body or something that happened. Beyond that it’s pretty much the same. Originally I tossed in personal happenings but being retired and moving to the suburbs from a rural setting has taken the spark away. I always marvel how you find something new and deep to write about. Your YouTube career is amazing and shows a skill I can’t even approach.
Thank you for your kind words about what I share here and on YouTube. All of it is a creative labor of love. Short enough to not run into my impatience which has kept me from doing much on two books I started years ago.
I understand the challenge of repeating the same things over and over again. Medical issues at home have reduced my opportunities for longer riders so I have to take a different approach. Where I ride and what I do don’t play much into my posts or videos. It’s usually some other issue scratching my brain.
I hope you find the spark again. The suburbs may present a barrier of sorts but I bet you’ll find your way free.
Thanks again for commenting and have a great New Year!
Steve, it seems we’re kind of in the same space.
Everything evolves.
In this moment I am working on a self-improvement project for 2026. I should be ready for January 1.
The core will be a handwritten 365 page journal that I will print and bind. Much like the 2024-2025 365 daily love notes to my wife. There are only two copies, one for me, one for my wife. With a note every day for a full year, it’s easy to go back in time and read the note for this day of the month. I didn’t know what to expect when I started, but it has paid many more dividends than anticipated. I am hoping that this new initiative will do the same.
My blog continues, much like yours does.
I write for my own satisfaction, but also in the hope that what I write, like the things your write and publish, will be a benefit for others, however they manage to stumble on the blog.
So by all means forge ahead in freedom Steve.
There is such an overwhelming torrent of pure garbage circulating, one that seems bound to increase, that our blogs, little puddles of truth, sanity, and compassion, are desperately needed.
Warm regards,
David