I believe that there is a useful analogy for determining whether or not someone was meant to ride a motorcycle. For myself, riding a motorcycle was a lot like riding a roller coaster for the very first time. At first you are scared and anxious for the experience, and as you sit down for the ride, you aren't quite sure when or where you left all logic behind. As you wait and ponder your decision, your mind is consumed by fear; fear of the unknown, and of all the tragedy that now consumes your thoughts.

As the ride starts, the climb or ascent is your first hurdle, and certainly the most difficult one to overcome. You can hear the unfamiliar mechanics beneath you, doing what they were made to do, yet it dawns on you that you have absolutely no idea whether or not this machine is functioning as it should.

Despite the fear, you soon realize that as the coaster ascends the massive and oftentimes creaking slope, perspective comes into view. You soon begin to see the world, opened up to you in way in which you have never seen it. You are free to turn your head in any direction, and see the world as it lies before you. For the first time you are on a machine that is in motion, and free of metal or glass that only obstructs the sights and sounds that are all around you- both of which are ever changing from one second to the next.

By the time you reach the top, you are still afraid, but overcome by the realization that you are there-in the moment. You feel like shouting "I am unafraid." Instead, you grasp onto your machine even tighter, and with a wave of butterflies that pass through your body, you take the plunge.

The wind begins to howl, and with a grin across your face you cannot help but scream. In an instant, your fear has immediately transformed into an addiction. One that will consume your thoughts, your dreams, and especially those cool mornings and warm afternoons when all you want to do is clear your mind and SEE the space that surrounds you and your life. Discovering an inner peace as you pioneer the farthest reaches of your city streets and mountain valleys.

This is my freedom that motorcycles provide. The pleasure of feeling, seeing, smelling, and hearing the world as I roar through it. If that sounds good to you, then you have already made your decision...you were meant to ride!

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