LEARNING FROM "BIG RED"

Wanda and I had an incredible ride up to the Smoky Mountains and back last week. We were blessed with God's protection, great weather, beautiful views, super riding friends, and no mechanical troubles. Riding in the mountains is far different than the flatlands of Florida. There is more gearing down and back up due to curves and hills, and the straight-a-ways are far and few between.

So what did I learn from "Big Red"?

The primary thing I have learned is that "Big Red" goes where I look. You don't turn motorcycle handlebars to turn the motorcycle. You look and lean, and where you look is where you go.

Not long after Wanda started riding "Big Red" with me, we were returning home from a short excursion. Everything had gone great, and she was beginning to get comfortable riding with me. I had to make a U-turn as I missed a turn, and U-turns for a beginner motorcyclist can be a challenge.

As I began the U-turn, I saw a huge pothole just on the edge of the roadway where we were turning. It got bigger and bigger and bigger and "Big Red" headed straight for the pothole. I couldn't get the big guy to turn away. Rather than hit the pothole, I veered to the right onto the sidewalk and missed the pothole.

There we were riding down the sidewalk, but we were safe. Oh, and thankfully no one was walking on the sidewalk. "Big Red" rides sidewalks too. Not good, but safe at least.

Here is the take-a-way. Where you look is where you"ll go. It is true on a motorcycle, and it is true in life. Keep looking at a pothole and you'll head straight for it. I have learned from that experience that I have to "look" at where I want to go and not pay attention to potholes.

Life and vision and future and dreams and goodness all depend on where we are focusing. If we focus on the pothole, we'll head straight for it. If we focus on the bad then we'll head straight for it too.

By the way, I can now make great U-turns on "Big Red". I look and lean to where I want to go. I am learning to do that it life also.