THoughts on dropping one’s scooter . . .
Thursday, November 6th, 2008- (by Martha)
- 2 responses
- Category: Uncategorized
Okay, it was bound to happen. Everybody who rides a motorized bike is going to drop it at some point.
Perhaps its just that I wasn’t expect to have trouble leaving my own driveway. But there I was caught in the drainage ditch on the other side of the dirt road I live on and going down.
I was going about five miles and hour so there was plenty of time to jump clear. Charlie had gone on ahead on his bike, so I was on my own with a two-wheeled vehicle that weighs considerable more than I do. Plus, I was pretty freaked out.
Okay, I’m also a sober alcoholic. Agitation is bad for me So the first thing I did was calm down. Then I braced one foot against the far edge of the ditch, leveraged my weight against the handlebars, used every ounce of my Cybex-honed strength, and got thatscooter upright again. Then I rolled it out of the ditch and got it and me facing downhill again.
Here’s the deal: THe truth is I was really scared–scared I’d fail, scared I’d wreck the bike, scared I’d hurt myself, for Pete’s sake. But sobriety has also taught me that turning my life over to fear is perhaps the most self-destructive things I can do. So, instead, I repeated my favorite Doobie Brother’s line which goes like this: YOu always have the chance to give up, so why do it now?
And then I got back on that scooter and headed on down the road.
Leave a response and help improve reader response. All your responses matter, so say whatever you want. But please refrain from spamming and shameless plugs, as well as excessive use of vulgar language. Please refer to our Code of Conduct.
good question. you always have the chance to give up, so why do it now? i like that
You know, almost everytime I’ve fallen off my scooter, it’s been a quirky unexpected mishap. Thankfully, as in your case, I was not hurt. I rode my scooter 22, 000 miles in the past year, on a trip to promote Peace. It was fully loaded with gear. The first time that I dropped it I couldn’t get it up alone and had to sit there waiting, alone, on the Blue Ridge Parkway. I suppose I developed muscles from riding–by the end of the trip I could pick it up all alone!!!
You did the right thing by waiting until your heart beat slowed down a little. Many people feel embarrassed and try to get right back on the bike and zip away. At that point, they are more likely to hurt themselves.