I haven't had the time to post or even ride since my dad got sick. He is 89 and at that age everything is serious. First he was in the hospital and now he is in a nursing care facility. He is tired, weak, can't walk and the outlook is going to be grim sooner or later. I'll get back to riding but I am not sure when. I had the day off since my mom went to see him so I took the bike out.
Sorry to hear about your dad, glad you were able to get some time on the bike. I know when my mom was very ill and in the hospital, the anxiety of not knowing what was going to happen was wearing me out. Being able to get on the bike and while best I could to not think about it, really relieved a lot of stress.
I am going through the same thing with my mother now, she is home in a hospital bed and my father who is 83 is taking care of her along with various aids, hospice etc. Her 85 bd and all hell broke loose. Riding is the only mind cleanser for me. I go to work and thats the only time I can really enjoy my motorcycles. Keep riding and hope for the best, thats all you can do, make them comfortable and you can face yourself in the morning. Don't wana get too philisophical...
Been in those shoes Jim. sorry to hear. Getting out on the bike is good therapy helps get the head on straight. Here's wishing you the best.
It has made me realize just how much my bike is my happy place. I took my VTR1000 out this afternoon for a 30 mile loop. I got gas and was met with some disproving comments by the clerk. I just shook my head. I know, from my experience with my dad, that life is something you can't keep. Life is to be used. Sure there is risk but as my old boss used to say "no one gets out of this alive." My motorcycle is my happy place. But more than my bike my friends who ride, the ones that get it, are also my happy place. This forum is my happy place. Thanks for the support It means a lot.
Full tilt therapy...hang tough Jim...my Moms got full blown Alzheimer's and anytime I see her, I always go for a ride to just put things in perspective. ..better then payin a shrink...
When my stepdad was in the various hospitals, I used my bike to see him. Helped a lot. My father in law and stepdad passed away within about one week. I rode down to the place to pick up my father in law's ashes, so he and I got a ride together. Good memories from a couple of sad situations.
Speaking of death and motorcycle experiences, I was invited to ride with the Norton Club for the Frank Snively Memorial. Frank was member of several motorcycle clubs and he was a long distance rider of some renown. It was an extraordinary experience. The first thing that struck me was the mix of bike people, in their road attire, rubbing elbows with non-riders and Frank’s family. It was relaxed and casual. The memorial service was more of a celebration of life than a morning of loss. The ride up Cotton Wood pass was a hoot (if you can refer to a funeral procession as a “hoot.”) I was following a lady on a Triumph Tiger (modern Triumph) and I knew if I could stay with her I was doing OK. A few times the road twisted in on itself and I lost sight of her as my neck wouldn’t swivel that far around. Bob Herman was on his Guzzi La Mans and he would catch me in the corners and then my VFR would run away from him in the uphill straights. I just had more power, not more skill by any means. It was also a moving experience to be united with that many riders as we took Frank's ashes on one last ride to the top of the mountain. I want to go like that.
^nicely written :thumbsup: life is short and we literally walk the "fine-edge" not much to keep us from being pushed over into oblivion. You could be a non-risk taker and walk off the curb and get "mowed" down by someone/something. I take nothing for granted, life is too precious and riding to work is my "happy-time" its when I am in my element and screw everyone that thinks different. The old adage, "if I have to explain, you probably won't get it" applies. eace:
