I know. Enough with the scooter right? Well, too bad. The scooter is my life and deserves every blog entry it gets. And there are things to be gleaned from scooter and riding the scooter and being one with the scooter.
The other night while sitting under Zelda’s gazebo, something was said about wanting to take their life into a certain direction, but it never seems to work out, more like the life just goes in circles. Chris said “it’s like when Cindy was first learning to ride the scooter”. I was terrible the first time on the scooter. I would see a parked car and know that was not the direction I would want to go, but instead would head straight for it any way. It all changed when I started looking in the direction I wanted to go. That’s the first life lesson from scooter riding. Look in the direction you want to go in and stop looking at the places you don’t want to go.
Something else that riding my scooter has really taught me is the practice of unitasking. The topic of unitasking came up in my yoga class last night and we discussed what unitasking entails. One of my students is also a scooter rider and I turned to him asked him if he’s noticed if he is more aware while on the scooter. He definitely agreed. When I’m riding the scooter I am more aware of smells, sounds, images, even temperature changes. That’s because when I am riding my scooter, there’s no other place to be but on the scooter. There’s no radio or me punching the radio scan button searching for something less annoying then the current option. There’s no cell phone distraction. Just me. Just the scooter. One task.
The scooter has turned out to be something unexpected. I thought owning the scooter would be a fun way to save gas. And it is. Great Fun. What I didn’t expect was how riding the scooter would turn into my meditation practice or turn out to be one of the most important things I do for myself every day.
When we bought the Harley, we knew it was a way to deal with J being in Iraq, it wasn’t just a fun ride, it was an escape from reality. It has become the place where we can be the most free of all hurt. It amazes me that other people feel the way we do about our bike.
Thank you. And I completely and totally get it. I understood a little before, but now that I have my own, I really get it.
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance…. read it? Do. A good used copy at 1/2 price Books should be easy to find.
Fantastic blog today. Vearing into cars…lol. Its wierd isn’t it? I do that on bikes.
I read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance in high school. Loved it. Every now and again, I think about re-reading to see what I would get out of now. I was lucky enough to find a good paperback edition last week at a thrift store for $0.59. Now, Cindy has it.
Excellent!
I saw your comment on Scooter in the Sticks and had to take a look at your Zen post. I understand the unitasking experience. After 5 years on the Vespa I continue to experience a heightened awareness that is seldom achieved otherwise. For me it is the exceptional reason to ride.
Steve Williams
Scooter in the Sticks
I too saw your comment on Steve’s site and followed it here.I sold my car last year and bought a scooter and have never looked back. It has been a life changing experience in many ways I do not fully yet comprehend. I like what you said about the ride being one of the most important things you do for yourself everyday. It is the same with me. I hate it when I don’t get to ride even If the ride lasts only a few minutes.
Pirsig says that when you are riding, you are completely in contact with the world. You are in the scene, not just watching it, and the sense of presence can be overwhelming.
Jim
Premeditated Scootin’
That’s one of the things I really love about scooting. I’m acutely aware of smells and temperature as I ride, and I always get a kick of feeling the temp dip when I ride by a house with the sprinklers on.