The Motorcycle Story pt.1

Raise your hand if you believe in the Law of Attraction (LOA). Now raise your hand if you actually have stories to confirm your belief. The thing with faith is, unless you have tangible breadcrumbs to look back on, at some point you start to question your path. Not only do you need confirmation in your own life that what you believe is indeed true, but when you are learning from or following teachers, you need confirmation from their lives that what they are teaching is true. The saying goes, “Those who can’t – teach,” but that is a load of crap. Have you ever truly learned something from somebody that couldn’t do what they were telling you? I have finally lived long enough and paid enough attention that I now have some solid law of attraction stories. This one is the motorcycle story.

I married my wife in January of 2001. At that point I was 23 years old and almost a licensed paramedic. I was deep in denial about who I was, what my damage was, so you know adding a wife to the mix is going to run smoothly. At some point in the roller coaster ride that is a new marriage I hit one of my lowest points ever. I would say I was stressed at work and at home, but we know the reality is that I was carrying the stress because I refused to deal with a lot of the internal conflict. I clearly remember looking in the mirror and saying out loud, “Something has got to give.”

Little did I know how powerful the LOA can be. Shortly thereafter, my grandfather needed back surgery and he lived alone. His health was declining and being a new widower he was not doing well. I took it upon myself to get him moved to where I could be a part of his life. I took a week or two off from my job, and Erin and I drove to Florida. We took care of Mac during and after his surgery, got him packed up, and when he was healthy enough, brought him back to Georgia. I had a few extra days off, realized I needed to relieve some stress, and decided how to do it. I borrowed a friend’s motorcycle and planned a ride.

So now we have to backtrack a little. I originally learned to ride by teaching myself on a borrowed Suzuki 350. If you are not familiar with engine sizes, it is a small motorcycle. I am a big guy and quite literally it looked like a bear riding a mini bike. I took it all in stride because I knew I was teaching myself how to have a grand adventure. For about a year I rode that little bike around, much to the horror of my wife. She knew how reckless I could be sometimes and was just scared every time she saw me on it. I, on the other hand, was oblivious to the situation and really loved the exposure to nature and the sensation of riding. While learning on a small bike is wise, what I didn’t take into account was physics. I was so big compared to the frame and power of the bike I could be unknowingly careless without consequences. In short, the bike did not have enough power to throw me off or hurt me.

I tell you that to tell you this – The bike I borrowed from my friend was 1100cc. That’s a rocket on a roller skate. No matter what your understanding is, you know 350 is a hell of a lot smaller than 1100. On top of that I had never been on this motorcycle before. In fact, I had never even seen it before I rode it. I asked my friend and he said sure. So we agreed on a place to meet, and my buddy Douglas and I went to get the bike. Douglas had his motorcycle, which he had ridden for years, and we were going to take about an hour long ride to relax and be stress-free.

I took off out of the gravel parking lot a bit nervous, but confident that I can do anything I set my mind to do. We rode a few blocks to fuel up before we made our trip. Now keep in mind that Douglas is one of the most responsible people in the world and I have trusted my life in his hands many times. He was also a very experienced rider and was there to guide me. We pull out of the gas station and head down a two block road. He takes off and leaves me in the dust. I was aware enough of my lack of skill that I didn’t try to keep pace. He turned left and left me behind. Now I can hear a train coming and we need to cross the tracks. He shoots on up ahead of me and across the tracks, but there was no way I was going to make it in time. I can tell you trains are SUUUUPER loud when you are nervous, on a motorcycle, first in line.

Did I mention I was stopped on a 45 degree incline leading up to the tracks? The train passed my buddy who has pulled over waiting for me and I have cars behind me, ready to go. SO I went.

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So do you remember when I said, “Something has got to give”? Yeah…words mean things. I can remember almost every high stress situation throughout my life in vivid detail, but not this one. I remember the roar of the engine, I felt pulled backwards, and I am lying there starting my paramedic assessment in my head. I get to my left knee and I see white with my eyes closed. My first thought after the scream in my head died down was a very calm, “Well, don’t do that again.” I ended up having flipped the motorcycle over and severing the ACL in my left knee. The following 7 months off from work really helped me get somewhat stress-free, deal with some issues, invest in my marriage, and see a different path for my life than the one I had known.

Do you know the epic dominoes that had to fall for “something to give” in my life? I mean, who lends a bike to someone like that? Douglas, who had never before nor since ever been, so reckless and irresponsible – it was so out of character. Even then I would never say, “Be careful what you wish for.” I truly needed something to give and it did. I remember this time of my life as one of the happiest because I finally was able to see beyond the darkness and stress. I found hope for change in my life and you can’t buy that. This was the Law of Attraction taking effect in my life, even when I had no real concept of it at all.

But that is only the beginning of the motorcycle story. You can leave now and know you have learned something or at least (hopefully) been amused. But I gotta tell ya, if you do leave now, you will miss out on some deeper meanings and accomplishments that came through the full unrated director’s cut. The story continues soon.