Have you noticed how many thin lines there are in life?\u00a0 Today, I\u2019m feeling the very thin line between strength and vulnerability.<\/p>\n
I love to ride my motorcycle \u2013 down winding roads, over mountains, across deserts, along the coast.\u00a0 Following that yellow brick road known as the center line. The line is not very wide.\u00a0 On the 4th<\/sup> of July several years ago, I was happily riding my Yamaha FJR in the mountains north of Durango, Colorado.\u00a0 Feeling strong, confident.\u00a0 Until I rounded a curve and saw a herd of mule deer milling around in the on-coming lane just across that double yellow line.\u00a0 FYI mule deer are huge, weighing\u00a0 200 to 250 pounds, compared to their spindly Southern cousins known as white-tailed deer who weigh a mere 100+ pounds. And when you rapidly approach a mule deer on a motorcycle, they grow bigger, fast. \u00a0I got on the brakes hard and had a fleeting image of getting safely by these deer whose heads were higher than mine.\u00a0 But one of them bolted, and in a Nano-second I was down with my left shoulder on that double yellow line. \u00a0I\u2019m a flat-lander from Florida, but I understood immediately that it\u2019s never a good idea to lie down on a double yellow line in the mountains.\u00a0 So, though part of my rational brain said I shouldn\u2019t move in case I had spinal injury, my louder, animal brain screamed \u201cGet outta the road!\u201d\u00a0 And so I sprinted \u2013 straight to the narrow, grassy strip that capped one of the many steep cliffs in the area.\u00a0 Then, I sat down.\u00a0 Just in case I was hurt.\u00a0 The bike went on down the road about 30 feet without me and then did a 180.\u00a0 Neither the bike nor I were where we belonged. \u00a0\u00a0I was glad to be out of the road and that my bike hadn\u2019t launched over the edge. That would have made for a really bad day. I had T-boned a very healthy mule deer; he got his hooves caught under my front fender and kicked loose, dropping me and the bike.\u00a0 At that point the deer was nowhere in sight. But honestly, at that point I wasn\u2019t worrying about deer. My shoulder, knee, and wrist hurt and I didn\u2019t know about my bike.<\/p>\n I didn\u2019t realize how much traffic was on that road, until I stopped it with my quick dismount.\u00a0 Several people got out of their cars or trucks to help.\u00a0 I asked some guys to pick up my bike and point it with the traffic (I didn\u2019t relish having to do a tight U-turn at that moment.)\u00a0 The FJR was gouged and bent in places but appeared to be functional. I was pleased to find that my left arm and leg still worked, though seriously stunned and stiff.\u00a0 So, I got back on my bike and rode it to my RV, about 10 miles away, with my left leg straight, using it and my left arm only when essential.<\/p>\n I was leaving the RV Park the next morning, so I loaded the bike, hooked up the trailer, and headed south.\u00a0 But when I unloaded the bike, releasing the pressure of the tie-down straps, things didn\u2019t look so good.<\/p>\n Short version \u2013 I had some impressive road rash on my left knee and shoulder \u2013 leaving enough permanent scars to qualify as bragging rights and a gimpy left shoulder. I learned to not wear a cuff bracelet while riding (it gouged my wrist, leaving a big knot).\u00a0 \u00a0The insurance company totaled by bike.\u00a0 I cried when they loaded it up on the wrecker.<\/p>\n And several years later, I\u2019m still reminded of lines.\u00a0 Lines that can delineate my vulnerability; lines that separate the past from the present.\u00a0 Lines on my face as I somehow have aged beyond recognition.\u00a0 The moving line between what I could once do without a thought, but now??? Maybe I better slow down and look at it before I launch.<\/p>\n In a recent intense yoga class, my brain (or was it my ego?) assured me I could still do a back bend.\u00a0 And I could, too.\u00a0 Except the next day, I began to seriously pay the piper.\u00a0 And now weeks later, I still move gingerly through doctor appointments and tests. I\u2019ve had to delay my departure to New Mexico, and otherwise begin acting like a responsible adult. I asked my friend Michael, \u201cHow do I know where the lines are now?\u00a0 I don\u2019t know how to get old.\u00a0 I don\u2019t want to pull up short \u2018cause I\u2019m scared.\u00a0 I don\u2019t want to miss something.\u201d\u00a0 He responded with a laugh, \u201cRun over the lines and kick \u2018em as you go by.\u201d\u00a0 Riding the motorcycle means a great deal to me \u2013 in a way I cannot explain to those who don\u2019t ride, those who ask me to carefully stay behind the lines, now that I\u2019ve hurt myself.\u00a0 I\u2019ll be careful \u2013but I\u2019m gonna keep riding my bike over the lines\u00a0 \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Have you noticed how many thin lines there are in life?\u00a0 Today, I\u2019m feeling the very thin line between strength and vulnerability. I love to ride my motorcycle \u2013 down winding roads, over mountains, across deserts, along the coast.\u00a0 Following … Continue reading