Road Rambings
First Moves
Some of the most nervous moments in my life have been while struggling through and fighting with the apprehension that comes
with making a first move. All of us have been there at one time or another and for one reason or another. My weakness
is women. I'm at total peace when making the first move in all other areas of my life, but to this day
my confidence takes a nose-dive when
it comes to the opposite sex.
Speaking in front of 200 hundred people? No sweat. Passing a technical interview? No sweat.
Laying my busniess knowledge and technical expertise on the line for a customer? No sweat. Striking up a conversation with
a woman I've never met? No chance of not sweating.
There are other reasons why some of us don't make first moves. Typical excuses involve the "You First" mentality. Granted,
the "You First" mentality can save a person's life. For instance, when it's used to preempt becoming a Darwin Award recipient.
We all had that one doobified and dubious teenage friend who, one drunken Friday night, said, "Dude. You're
afraid to put electrodes on your nut-sack."
Now it's obvious that if you had that friend and you're reading this, you responded with the only proper reply. In that
moment between painful darwinian justice and having another beer there's a spark in your brain and you drunkenly reply, "You first, dude!"
I rarely use the "You first" excuse these days. Of course, my friends have matured a bit since being in high school. But
just barely.
At times I wonder about the ramifications of not making the first move. Has the love
of my life slipped through my fingers while my brain played games with my ability to speak intelligently and not sweat in a 60 degree
room? Who knows. I'm working on it.
As motorcylists we all share a common responsibility to be good ambassadors - representatives, if you will - of the
sport we love so much. For me, it's important that I conduct myself in a way that fosters goodwill, friendship and
understanding both within the riding community and the general public.
One thing I do to help promote goodwill, friendship and understanding within the riding community is by acknowledging other
riders with a simple wave. I don't catch everyone, but if I see a rider and it's safe to wave, I will put my hand up and
acknowledge him while I think about who he is, where he's been and wish him a safe journey to wherever he's going. The vast
majority of riders return the wave or already have their hand up when I see them. Some riders don't wave. And that's cool.
I don't wave for me. I wave because I want to share with someone the big shit-eatin' grin on my face and well wishes for
a safe journey.
During last year's 48-Plus ride I was traveling through Milwaukee, WI. I was on my wing and waved at a
couple of riders and got nothing. Again to another rider. Nothing. Then I thought about it. I was riding a Honda Goldwing
in Milwaukee, WI - home of the Harley-Davidson empire. I'm regarded by many as 'the competition.' No problem. I'm not giving up.
I'm just wondering if the attitude harbored by some
riders (and this is not a Harley-specific attitude by any means) prevents them from transcending from a ride home to a
ride down the road of their life.
I didn't get out of the Milwaukee area without getting a wave, though. Traffic was heavy at the time and I didn't get that
much time to respond, but as I was cruising down the road I see a guy on a wing in opposing traffic waving frantically. He
was wearing a helmet, but I could sense the shit-eatin' grin on his face and was sure he could sense mine too. I put my hand up as
far as I could - like a long radio antenna with a tennis ball on the tip - to ensure he could see it over all of the traffic
while I smiled
with him and thought about who he was, where he was from and wished him a safe journey to wherever he was heading down the road of his life.
One of my favortite quotes is from Dave Karlotski: The difference between riding in a car and riding a motorcycle is the
difference between watching TV and living your life.
With the riding season upon us, a lot of us will be on the road. Acknowledging your fellow riders isn't something to sweat over and
the "You first" excuse will not save you from suffering from any form of Darwinian justice. So I emplore you to live
and ride down the road of your
life. Don't be afraid to share your
excitement and happiness by offering a hand of goodwill, friendship
and understanding to the riders you meet - however momentary that encounter may be. Think about who
they are, where they've been and wish them well to wherever they're heading down the road of their life.
Road Rambings
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