Scooter in the Sticks

Exploring life on a Vespa, Royal Enfield Himalayan, Honda Trail 125, and a Kawasaki W650

Does Riding Make You Grateful?

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A Vespa GTS scooter parked in a farm field in the morning sun.
Stopping to reflect on a new day.

Morning Experiences

Waking up, splashing warm water on my face, entering the garden with the dogs, I always find two things — excitement at what the day may bring, and gratitude to witness it. Something unfamiliar when I was still working and mornings were a chaotic rush to try and strangle the day into submission.

A slow, patient movement through the world is not just a luxury, it’s a formula to appreciate what’s right in front of me. It’s at work when I ride. No frantic rush to get somewhere or accomplish something. When I pulled the Vespa off the road and into an open field I wanted to experience the sunlight and the world before me. And like those morning walks in the garden I felt grateful to be alive, to be able to ride and appreciate life without being lost in noise and chaos.

When I ask myself “Does riding make you grateful?” the answer for me is yes.

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Don’t Let the Old Man In

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A 2006 Vespa GTS 250 scooter on a rural road on an overcast day.
Still going strong.

Cool Air and a Heavy Sky

Being old isn’t just a physical state. It is a state of mind. And if I want to remain “young”, especially in the face of physical decline, I need to push away the feelings that life is finished when I wake with more aches and pains than usual.

Sounds simple enough but thoughts of mortality coupled with those early morning surprises make keeping the old man out a real challenge. Getting on a scooter or motorcycle and going for a ride is a way of thumbing my nose at old age.

I don’t remember why I decided to ride the Vespa GTS scooter that morning. Looking at the photograph of it under the heavy overcast sky I do remember the thrill at being out on the road. The reason doesn’t really matter.

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Making Sense of Life with a Vespa ET4 Scooter

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A Vespa ET4 parked along a rural road on a beautiful morning.
The scooter’s simplicity makes it easy to focus on life.

Learning on the Road

No matter how diligently I work at managing my life it persists in being messy and chaotic. I used to believe that there was a simple solution, a process by which I could forever be free of the noise and just relax and be happy. Definitely one of those beliefs emerging from the childish part of myself that wants everything to be easy. Life is delivered moment by moment. And the choices I make right now, in this moment, are the ones that affect my life.

Riding scooters and motorcycles provides the unencumbered space that makes it possible to understand what living in the moment is. And sometimes lets me carry it off the road and into the rest of my life.

It was a beautiful morning when I pushed my Vespa ET4 out of the garage to embrace the day and go for a ride.

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In Sickness and in Health

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View of a hospital at sunset
View at the end of the day while waiting for the elevator.

A post-surgical view

My wife and I have been married for over thirty years. The youth and energy that drove our lives when we began changes and fades over time. And a recent spine surgery that my wife underwent reminds me of the marriage vows I swore so many years ago.

…in sickness and in health…

That surgery reminded not only of vows, but triggered gratitude for health insurance and acceptance of the reality that I wouldn’t be riding for a while. For the last two weeks of July and through the end of August my scooters and motorcycles were idle as I focused on support and care.

And as healing progresses I’ve been able to begin to ride a little. Short trips, errands mostly, and the experience recharges my physical, mental, and emotional batteries.

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Riding in Circles

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Paul Ruby on his red Honda Trail 125 motorcycle.
A wild man in paradise.

Text Messages

“I’m honda trailing to grange if u want to tag along for the ride”

Verbatim from Paul. Capitalization and punctuation aren’t required to understand the offer. While I have no desire to go to the Grange Fair it would be nice to get out of the house and go for a ride. That’s reason enough and the text message provided the nudge to get up off my ass.

We took the back way to Centre Hall, slow roads with little traffic. When we stopped to say goodbye I can’t help to shudder a bit thinking what it would feel like for me to ride with no gloves and short pants. Paul is unconcerned.

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