What We Think About

I have a few friends and acquaintances whose intelligence astounds me regularly. Information and knowledge oozes from them, and they are limitless resources to me. I watch them with fascination and wonder. “How do you do that?” I might ask one, as he spouts a quote, and remembers lines and lyrics with little prompting. Their technical knowledge ripples on the surface, and I often think of the abyss in Yellowstone Park wondering at the bottomless depths of their human intelligence. I wonder what it’s like to be them to remember things with ease. For they seem to understand not only the who and what, but always the why a thing is or isn’t. These are the thoughts that occupy my mind in quiet moments.

These days I have more quiet times to muse as my commutes are considerably longer than they once were. It isn’t technical issues, lyrics or famous quotes that bubble to the surface on these long winter drives. What I find myself doing is navigating the roadways, watching my fellow commuters, judging their moods, anticipating their moves, and always driving with the eye of a motorcyclist. I have selected lanes, watched traffic patterns, judged distances, watched the angle of the sun and squinted through the solar glare. “You will not want to take the bike to work on that route” I’ve been told. Yet, I’m doing my homework. I want to be my own judge of what is, and isn’t something I would care to do.

I’ve discovered some interesting parking at the “other” office. It’s a pad just for motorcycles complete with carport like roof. Why would I turn away from such plush accommodations? Just thinking of Blaze protected from the sun’s baking rays, or pop-up thunderstorms gives me motivation to find alternate routes, or at the very least, understand the route I travel now. The New England Riders will never suggest a long commute is a bad thing if you are on your bike. “More miles of smiles” they’ll tell you. It may still be February, but already I can feel the effects of the sun’s strengthening rays. Blaze’s hibernation is nearly over and I must be prepared.

Tomorrow, for Valentine’s Day, Andy is taking me to the bike show in Boston. I have some shopping to do. My first order of business is to become more visible. I’m shopping for a florescent vest that will out do the solar glare and wake those sleepy drivers. Maybe some reflective tape for the back of the helmet is in order too. I’ll be scanning the vendors for any and all ideas that will result in a motorcycle commute that is enjoyable, keeps me alive, and brings smiles to this face.

I still wonder about the workings of those master brains. What makes them tick and tock or what things they think about when they commute to work. It’s possible they have the same mundane thoughts the rest of us do about the bills that need paying, what they might eat for lunch, or where the cheapest gas is sold. These days, that mystery is taking the passenger seat to thoughts about what makes the best of this commute on a motorcycle, composing prose in my mind, and how to blend the two into the best of both worlds.