Singing the Blues

If there is one thing I hate more than hearing bad news it is reading bad news about your friend on a social network website. Or maybe I can top that. How about reading about your friend in the morning news, realizing too late that you have a voice message their family member left waiting for you? To say these are uncomfortable moments is an understatement. In both of the incidences above my dear friends recovered and went on about their lives.

In the most recent incident, a friend was a victim of a blue hair. Out for a leisurely ride, he followed behind an elderly woman for some distance. She putts along, but he was in no hurry. He occasionally looked in his rear view mirrors to watch how those behind were doing too. Then without warning and with no apparent reason, the woman came to a dead stop. There were no pedestrians, no intersections, and no stray cats. Startled, he applied the brakes; hard. The front tire locked up. We know where he went next. The blue hair beat it out of there like a bat out of hell.

There has been much written about the elderly and deteriorating driving skills. I don’t need to list the statistics, or the incidents involving motorcycles. I did think it worth a reminder to my riding friends to be cautious as we start a new season.
“Watch out for the old folks.” I reminded them.
“Sure Pat. Just call us when you leave the house.”
It went down hill from there. Trying to keep your friends from harm should not warrant a lecture of being politically correct. Blue hair, old folk, elderly, let’s be frank, all’s fair when our lives are at stake.

It is true that I am no spring chicken myself, and someday, I might actually get behind the wheel despite knowing I probably shouldn’t. I’m a risk taker. Any person who rides a motorcycle has an element of risk taking in their blood, or they would never have thrown a leg over the saddle in the first place.

I like to believe there are lessons for all of us in the events of our lives, be it watching them unfold or experiencing them first hand. So go ahead, jest away. If you remember the message then my work here is done.