meditation Archives - Page 3 of 10 - Scooter in the Sticks

Why I Ride a Vespa Scooter

June 19, 2020 by Scooter in the Sticks 41 Comments

Forest road — Quiet forest roads are one explanation of why I ride a Vespa scooter.

Exploration, Meditation, and Contemplation

Anyone who has spent much time reading my posts is aware that they touch on the mental and emotional experience of riding. I don’t often spend much time on the machine itself or the reasons why I ride a Vespa scooter.

A simple question. One that I can only answer for myself. And as I’ve shared before, what might make sense for me could have poor results for you. So with that caveat I’ll share my answer to “Why ride a Vespa scooter?”

The photograph of the gravel forest road I traveled recently hints as a reason. Depending on your goals and temperament, this same stretch of road can call on completely different machines. Some may see it as an opportunity to bomb forward as fast as possible, feeling the machine through turns and over bumps, and managing feelings of control over the environment. A perfectly fine approach if speed and control are your goals.

For me, this road presents an opportunity to slow down, explore, and release as much of the tension and noise from my body and mind as possible.

My scooter is perfectly matched for these intentions. Easy to ride, simple in operation, and as silent and invisible as I can get with something powered by an internal combustion engine.

Riding in the Zombie Apocalypse

March 25, 2020 by Scooter in the Sticks 28 Comments

BMW K75 motorcycle on rural road — A BMW K75 motorcycle in the zombie apocalypse.

Reality in the Bright Sun

Can I outrun the advancing zombies on my motorcycle? Those words echo in the darker chasms of my mind, a river of fear flows through the abyss and I’ve slowly overcome by a fever of fear and anxiety. Far above there’s panic in the world. And the only treatment, or at least the one I reach for first is to go for a ride.

Riding imparts a quiet solitidue in my head. It can wash away the darkness and leave me standing in the sunlight, upright, calm and with a renewed perspective on the day. Or at least that’s my hope as I push the BMW K75 out of the garage.

I’m attracted to stories containing threads of melancholy and loss; especially in literature and movies. Irresistible forces and frightening odds with a protaginest who emerges beaten and bruises, heavy with grief yet triumphant as a representative of all that’s good with humanity. It’s never been clear to me why I’m attracted to these stories. I’m neither a hero in life or in the fantasies that drift through dream and consciousness.

It’s early morning with dazzling sunlight, welcomed after so many days of a monotone grayness that whispers to crawl into bed and go to sleep. The motorcycle moves smoothly along the highway as I head south along the front ridge of the Appalachian Mountains. It’s colder than I thought it would be, a few degrees below freezing, and my feet producing a dull ache as they give way to the cold. Another stop, this time for fuel and some time indoors to allow my body to warm.

Words of Reflection

December 31, 2019 by Scooter in the Sticks 18 Comments

Christmas wreath hanging in Saint's Cafe in State College, PA. — A wreath in the window of Saint’s Cafe.

Quiet Moments

My dog Junior is lying at my feet. The sound of a soft exhale of breath as he prepares to descend into sleep. The ceiling is splashed with green and red lights from the laser projector outside which paints our house in a festive sparkle and shoots through the livingroom window to add the effect indoors. The room, and myself, are quiet. A fine time to write a few words of reflection.

I’m tired, a soft ache through most of my body, a result of the head cold which insistently pushes me toward the bed and the gentle escape of sleep. But first I wanted to tap a few words of reflection

Sitting here now, a cup of tea and a few ginger cookies to provide emergency fuel, I recognize the satisfaction and serenity of this moment. And of the gratitude I feel for this life. Perhaps the Christmas season continues to work on head and heart.

Norman Vincent Peale, author of the Power of Positive Thinking, once commented on the power of the season, “Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.”

I can’t disagree. I remain under the influence of its magic. Wandering through State College, Pennsylvania, I see icons of the holiday season. The wreath in the window of Saint’s Cafe reminds me of how many things, great and small, for which to be grateful.

Cold Weather Riding is a State of Mind

December 5, 2019 by Scooter in the Sticks 18 Comments

Vespa GTS scooter parked between two cars on a snowy driveway — Warming up the Vespa scooter, warming up my mind.

The Ten Thousand Pound Vespa

Just last week…

Snow, a slap in the face and reminder that summer, autumn, and warm weather are finished. Nature proclaims its power and I’m faced with the sad reality that I’ve forgotten how to enjoy winter. Age and infirmity have stimulated a host of excuses and rationalizations for turning off one of the most joyful parts of my life and retiring to the sheltered warmth of home and hearth. My mastery of rationalization, denial, and delusion is exceptional, especially when faced with uncomfortable actions and decisions.

So it’s no surprise that it takes great mental effort to push the Vespa outside on a cold morning.

Giving Thanks

November 28, 2019 by Scooter in the Sticks 18 Comments

Wisp of clouds in a blue sky over a mountain top. — Looking to the sky for gratitude and Thanksgiving.

Gratitude

This is a story about riding a motorcycle and giving thanks.

It’s easy for me to overlook the good things in my life. I blame the rush and chaos of everyday living, but the truth is — giving thanks is a habit I’ve not fully developed. Just as Ebenezer Scrooge learned to keep Christmas in his heart every day of the year, so should I learn the same in regard to Thanksgiving.

I ventured out on the motorcycle on a fine, crisp November morning at 35F. Gazing into a blue sky I felt gratitude for having another day to live.

The underlying, original motivation for Thanksgiving may have been pure, but my experiences of the day growing up were one of holiday, complete with family traveling to be together, a huge meal, arguments at the table followed by football on television and grown men asleep in the living room.

There’s nothing wrong with any of that. But a fundamental ingredient was absent the day — gratitude.