Just need to do... what must be done!!

"Forget about likes & dislikes. They are of no consequence. 

Just do what must be done.

It might not be happiness, but it is greatness"

- George Bernard Shaw         

Clearly Mr Shaw, did a better job of describing, how to proceed objectively to achieve a goal.

I reiterated, in July, 2016 what I was doing to get back on the saddle and mentioned that I was still determined  & was training to do it. (The now infamous quote, "I'll be damned if I didn't try harder everyday.. every moment.. to get back on a bike")

And so it happened.... on Nov 5th, 2016 at 9:36 am.

While I was happy to get back to riding again (on a small 300cc parallel twin), after the crash that broke 6 bones & left me half blind and in a coma; I wasn't necessarily content.  Knowing me, that shouldn't come as a surprise to most, if not all of you. 

So I set my sights on getting back on the big 1200cc, 168 hp, 575lb, 60inch wheelbase monster of a machine.

And so I did... on Dec 29, 2016 at 11:43 am

But what you cannot see is, how brutal life can get in the time between these 2 shots.

I had more health issues, that left me bed ridden for a week... went through another heart wrenching episode of layoffs... Trump becomes the president elect & straightaway announces that even the most hardworking legal aliens are not safe from his mood swings.. and... the news that my dad has been diagnosed with a tumor in his liver.

And trust me I know when I say this...  "life can get more brutal". For instance, ask the people trapped in a war torn region of the world. Yet, it doesn't take away the fact that these curve balls that life throws at you in rapid succession, is like getting pummeled by a pugilist throwing face tearing jabs & hooks.

My dad passed away on Jan 9th, 2017. Just months after we discussed how I had this ambition of retrofitting a BMW N54 straight 6 in a 67 Mustang with modern running gear & a roll cage. There he was saying, he will be here cheering me on in my first race, that I was training for. But he went from "he is walking" to "not being able to talk" in less than the time it would take me to train for 5K run.

Fact remains, I cannot change the past... we may question and hypothesize a lot in these circumstances. Its however undeniable that, if life is limited and we have less than anticipated time to finish things before we breath our last, then conversations that involve the phrases, "could've" & "would've" are as point less as pouring water over burnt embers.

So paying heed to what my mom says, its important to be thankful for the people who love & care for us and keep moving forward. I am thankful for some amazing friends I have made over the years, my family and most important of all, the woman I've decided to spend my life with.

While I will always have the hollow feeling from this point on, I still have the burning urge to press on. Wrong? You want to debate me on that? I will provide a list of hypocrisies that humans have accepted as the "norm", and we can point fingers at each other all night long. But the thing is, I don't have time to waste.

I have come too far to let anything get in the way now. I wasn't expecting happiness like Mr Shaw had mentioned & truth be told I wasn't doing it for the greatness either. My benchmark always was and will be, to sleep every night knowing, I gave it my best in everything I attempted to do each day.

I didn't choose to get hurt; physically or emotionally. And if I could prevent it all, I would. But I do have the choice to get up & get back every time I fall. And as long as there is even an iota of chance to achieve what I set out to do, after a mishap/grief, I will give it all and try.

So I am going to try to get back on track. Literally!