Skip to main content

Lessons from Layla


After moving out, I made the decision to buy a bike instead of finding my own place to live. Right away. I moved in with a friend and her family. People who don’t ride questioned my decision. I have had my bike for a month now and know it was the right choice. For the friendship Layla and I are forming has taught me much already.

1.     I can find my way on my own.
It started the night I brought her home was my first time riding solo. My friend was not in front of me guiding the way, pointing out hazards, or checking to see how I was doing each time we stopped.

2.     I have strength.
The first time I dropped Layla was in a parking lot after riding on 95 and passing two campers.  It is fair to say my nerves were a bit shot. That day friends were with me and helped me pick her up. Last week, I dropped her again when doing a slow turn on a bit of a hill in a parking lot. It wasn’t easy, but I picked her up all by myself. And then she wouldn’t start…

3.     I can solve problems without relying on somebody else.
I sat on the seat for a bit and tried again. Still nothing. Before trying to figure it out on my own, I thought about the people I could call to come help me out. Embarrassment kept me from calling anyone. I knew gas wasn’t getting where it needed to go. And then it was! I figured it out after trying a few different things.

4.     “Remember to keep it shiny-side up.”
The last month many people have told me to keep the shiny side up. Shiny side up, wind in my face, without a care in the world. For me, a metaphor for the way I try to live my life.  In order to keep it shiny side up, I need to be in the moment, avoid hazards, and always be thinking one step ahead.

5.     Bikers like to hug.
One of my favorite parts of the monthly Rolling Thunder meetings is the hugs. Everybody hugs when they see each other and again before they leave. The feeling of caring in the room is powerful. I know these people would do anything for me and each other. We should all be hugging more often!

6.     A simple wave brings a smile.
When out riding, one of the things I like best is the wave I exchange with other riders. The biker wave. We don’t know each other, yet in a single hand gesture lasting less than a couple of seconds there is camaraderie. Without fail, I smile. (Usually on the inside. I don’t want to risk swallowing a bug.)

7.     I don’t fit the stereotype (according to one 7th grade boy)
I ride my bike to school every chance I get. The other day I had the following conversation with a 7th grade boy:
            “Mrs. Victor, you ride a motorcycle, right?”
            “Right.”
            “But you wear make-up. Biker chicks don’t wear make-up. They are supposed to look all badass and stuff.”

Apparently, he has been thinking a lot about me riding a motorcycle and can’t get it to make sense in his head. The next day he came to me with another question or two after seeing my bike boots in my classroom.
            “Mrs. Victor, I bet you swagger up to the biker bar and ask for a Heineken.”
            Another student who is immersed in a biker church community was in the classroom and started laughing almost as hard as I did.
            “I have never been to a biker bar, nor have I heard of a biker drinking Heineken,” I responded. “Besides, the bikers I know don’t drink and ride.”
            “What do they drink?”
            My other student was happy to answer the question, “Whiskey.”
            “You can’t be a biker though, Mrs. Victor. You don’t have a tattoo,” he persisted.
            I walked away laughing happy to have broken the stereotype of how he sees a “biker chick.”
I am looking forward to learning more life’s lessons as I continue riding. One of these days, I will ride in the mountains and challenge myself on the Dragon’s Tail. I will ride on a highway without having to give myself a pep talk as cars and trucks go whizzing by me. I will pass campers and wave to them with confidence. I will continue to embrace the strength and confidence that the freedom of riding brings.
 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Aging sucks.....or does it?

Upon first thought, watching a parent age sucks. Unnoticeable at first. A bit of a stoop, some creaking in the knees, whitening of the hair. The doctor’s visits begin, as do the pills One for high blood pressure, another to thin the blood, and a handful of vitamins to top it off. The signs are there, but it is easier to see him as he has always been. My father, a pillar of strength. Until my pillar was knocked off-kilter. A simple surgery and the mortality of my father looked me square in the eye when the drugs took hold of his brain. Amidst his fidgeting and confusion, I realized…AGING SUCKS! And then….enlightenment dawned upon me….AGING IS BEAUTIFUL Wrinkles tell of smiles while silver hair speaks a life of memories. Knees creaky after years of kneeling in prayer, offering up a lap, and climbing up the stairs for one more kiss goodnight. Almost forty-eight years of memories nestled in my heart. Memories of my father. Taking us to church each Sunday Building and fixing ...
2 comments
Read more

The Challenge of Five

Living alone is easy. Add one more person to the equation and it becomes a bit more challenging – especially when that person is a 13 year old. But in time, we figured it out. Somewhere in there, Beatrice joined us. With Thanksgiving came the joy of the five of us together for the week. And then reality set in as Tony and Sana began their trek back to New Hampshire. Our household of two was now a household of three as Sean made himself a home with us.   For the first five years of Sean’s life it was just he and I. How difficult could it be to have my 22-year-old son living with me again? A mother couldn’t ask for a better son. He is loving, kind, intelligent, and hard-working. He has grown into a fine young man who has lived on his own for the past three years. He has his own way of doing things.   I have my way of doing things. Needless to say, the two clash a bit. I tend to go with the flow and do things (supper, adventures, etc) as the mood strikes. He likes to plan eve...
2 comments
Read more

I Got the Call!

I began the day a bit down in the dumps. (As is very evident from the earlier blog entry of the day.) I was missing my family. Wondering about the risk we took. Uncertain how it would all work out. My brother, Jamie, insisted that Patti and I join his family for a Braves game. He bought us $1 tickets and told us to get to Turner Field. The great thing about Atlanta Braves games on a hot Sunday afternoon is that the turn-out is not very good. We followed Jamie toward his seats on the third base line and sat in a couple of empty ones about 20 rows back. By the end of the game, I was in the first row! Apparently it was too hot for many of the fans. The Braves trounced the Dodgers, 13-1. (Newly added to my bucket list: get to as many of the major league baseball parks as possible. I have been to three this summer alone!) Upon returning ‘home’ I decided to check out the possibility of more jobs. Curiosity led me to Manchester’s website. (Manchester is about 30 minutes away from whe...
3 comments
Read more