Pagosa Springs: After Thoughts

I’m one of those people whose mind never slows down. I find it hard to meditate, and consequently don’t do it as much as I should. I struggle with the staying power to make regular time to practice yoga on a daily basis, even though I am well aware of the physical, mental, and emotional benefits such a practice would evoke. I fully blame myself for these shortcomings. Simply put, I am human.

When I’m riding a long trip on the motorcycle, my mind is going in a million different directions. Primarily, my eyes wander the road from side to side along the road, I’m scanning my mirrors, I’m looking ahead at traffic, I’m watching the road surface for hazards. I’ve been driving for so long, that a lot of what I do when I drive (or ride) is automatic and it leaves a good portion of my brain singing “Are We There Yet?” until my head explodes.

So, instead of driving myself insane with an annoying earworm, I think about the stories that are constantly running though my head. Sometimes I write little vignettes and scenes that I can never quite remember when I sit down to put those thoughts on paper. I take in the scenery around me, and kick myself in the @$$ for not having my GoPro charged and mounted on a helmet. And the scents, aromas, and odors of an area are unavoidable when riding through on a motorcycle. The air can go from the scent of wildflowers to the stench of decay in one breath. Thankfully, on a motorcycle the latter is usually well behind by the time you can take a second whiff.

I’ve tried listening to music while I ride. That only works if you have a set of ear buds that will seal the ear canal enough not to let in the wind noise. And even then, in a cross wind all bets are off on even being able to hear anything but an occasional loud note or riff. I bought a (pricey) custom set of inner ear speakers, but they only lasted a few years before I couldn’t hear much out of them anymore. Besides, they didn’t have an inline volume control, and those are hard to find nowadays.

So, I think of stories to write when I ride. Someday those stories will make it to paper, but right now, they are ideas percolating in the depths of my mind. Stay tuned, you never know when one of those stories will appear in this blog.