Experiences Never Die

I’ve gotten to thinking lately about how lucky I’ve been to have discovered two wheeled transportation.  Even more so, having discovered two wheels powered by an engine.

I can still remember my first pedal bike very clearly.  Those early experiences, spent on two wheels molded a desire for adventure and adventuring.  That machine, powered by the force of muscle and the breath of a young boy, was in reality powered by the imagination of a young mind, imagining and longing for adventure.

As I rode that 20″ framed machine, a pair of young legs thrust its rider toward unseen and previously imagined horizons.  Two wheels became the means to cover great distances at great speed.  I can still remember the rush of the air by my face and the wind tousling my then full head of hair.  Just the thought of being able to cover what appeared to be vast distances at what was then great speed, gave growth to a longing sense of adventure to new places and adventures yet untaken.

As the years passed, older and not necessarily much wiser, motorized two wheel transportation came within my reach.  Motorized two wheel transportation, to a budding adventurer, young or old represents a waiting magic carpet.  Often attractive in looks, slim, sleek and comfortable, freshly cleaned tassels (farkles) glittering, it awaits those who would simply climb aboard and enjoy the ride to the next adventure.

For those that do take that magical leap, the world and a world of experiences await.  The only barrier, the willingness to take off on the journey and an open mind with which to experience the world.  Should the rider climb on, grab the tassels, and consent to set the journey in motion, the experiences of the world await.  Both good and bad.

Whether those experiences are good or bad will be decided by the magic carpet rider.  Only that person, the one who has the intimate experiences, can pass judgement on them.  For those who truly savor an adventure, the good and the bad are what make up the adventure.  These experiences combine to provide a soup for the soul.  A tablespoon of fun, a cup of local hospitality and perhaps a dash of mechanical difficulty all combine to flavor the pot with a rich and hearty flavor.  Such adventurers know that a soup made of only a single fine ingredient will never match the taste of one made with many different standard ingredients.

So that brings me back to the title of this little article.  On any adventure, is it worth it to risk good and bad experiences, with the bad potentially outweighing the good?  At the end of the journey, will the adventurer be any better or worse for having taken the adventure?  Let’s examine this a bit and see what we can come up with.

Let me give you a real world scenario.  My father had frontal lobe dementia, a disease sort of like Alzheimer’s, that first robbed him of his memory, and ultimately his life.  A brilliant scientist, as the dementia took hold, his memory was severely reduced and he was a mere shell of the experiences he encountered and the education he obtained.  So was it worth it for him to work hard, get two undergraduate and two post-graduate degrees, have a family, raise children, and risk all the hardships that raising a family can bring.  The simple answer, of course it was!  My father lived a full life and enjoyed his family and his interactions with others despite some of the hardships that came with it.

With the passing of my father, did his experiences die?  No, they were had, felt and responded to by him and others.  These experiences molded him into the person he would later become.  Without them, he and indeed the world itself, would be different.  Both he and the people he met had changed, no matter how slightly, by their interactions.

So the same might be said of that would be adventurer thinking about jumping on that two wheeled motorized magic carpet.  Is it worth it to take that magical leap onto two wheels and commence your journey of new life experiences to new places and new people?  There could be difficult times during the journey…  For those that wish to experience the world and those in it, the answer is a clear; yes!

Although we all will eventually die, the experiences we have had, together with the interactions with those we have met, will live on in those people and their children.  So by riding the magic carpet, we will have made the world and ourselves, a little richer and better at each waypoint of the journey.

So jump on your magic carpet and take off on that journey!

Ride2Adventure – Shrink The Planet One Ride At A Time