The Quest for Freedom.

I have had an unusual holiday.  Never have I spent so much time by myself.

Originally Terry was to join me on my trip South, but due to a change in family circumstances, I shouted him a trip to LA.  So for the first time in 12 years his whole family was together.  The look on his face when I gave him the present was priceless and well worth it.

So on Christmas eve I found myself heading south on my own.  I was actually a bit apprehensive.  I had never been away for so long on my own, and on my bike.  I was looking forward to it, but being a pretty sociable sort of fella I was wondering if I would get bored or feel a bit alone.  People always say you should live on on the edge.  To me living life on the edge is different for everyone.  I personally think that the real definition is when you move our of YOUR comfort zone,what ever that may be, then for you, that is living on the edge.

But I discovered a few things about myself, and at times found myself doing stuff that I wouldn't ordinarily do.

Normally I am always in a rush to get every where.  Up early on the bike, ride for miles etc etc.  But when I was away I seemed to slip into some kind of "I will get there when I get there" attitude.  This attitude included everything from when I got out of bed, to how fast I ride, to spending a fair amount of time just sitting and looking at my surrounds.  Once I spent an hour looking at a mountain...yes just a bloody mountain.  Just taking in majesty that was all around me.

I began to get a sense of longing to be doing this all the time, that sense of freedom and no pressure. Of not being ruled by the clock, or computer, or what ever the next demand that is put on me.  Of course that sense of freedom is not new, every biker knows it, seeks it, almost demands it.  Isn't that why we ride? For a small moment in time we are in charge of our own destiny, our own decisions.  We are not being pushed and pulled in either direction, the direction we go is because we want to.  You never do a "trip" on a bike, you do a "ride".  A trip is what people do in cars, even then most don't even do trips.  No one doing a "trip" in a car chooses the longest, windiest road to get to a destination.  

So it got me thinking.  If I could do it all the time would I still love it. Would I still appreciate it, the way I was doing?  If I had endless freedom would the desire to "go" still be there?  

Like every one else I have restrictions on my life. Partner, Kids, Mortgage, business to run...the list goes on.  What if I throw off all those restrictions and just went....how would I feel?

After thinking about it I came to the conclusion that it is because of these so called restrictions that I appreciate the freedom more when I get it.  These "restrictions" are not restrictions at all they are my life, and my life is richer because of it.  

So for now thoughts of riding from Alaska to to the bottom of Argentina must go on the back burner.  But one day when some of these things that fill my life are gone. The kids have moved out, the business is sold, where the need for the big house simply ceases to exist, it is then and I only then it will be my decision to go...the question is though,  will I?