Childhood Mindfulness on a Mini Bike

Ron 0:08

I was just a kid , 11 years old , and as I look back today , I am absolutely positive that I experienced what so many of us adults are still trying to achieve . Maybe it's because I was so young . I wasn't carrying any loads at all , I had no weight of responsibilities on my shoulders . I've just come to realize that I was actually practicing mindfulness as a little kid , on a little red mini bike . Now it may not be the definition that you're thinking of mindfulness , but for me it is More often than not . When I'm out riding alone on a country road , I return to my 11-year-old self on a tiny motorcycle . It's all in my mind , of course , but then again , is it Today ? We'll talk for a short while , but then we'll go for a ride . Yeah , you and I need a ride . Are we going to play mind games ? Maybe , but then again , what's wrong with that ? Thank you for joining me today . Hold on tight . Recorded in beautiful Loveland , colorado . Welcome to Peace , love Moto the podcast for motorcyclists seeking that peaceful , easy feeling as we cruise through this life together . Are you ready ? Let's go .

Corporate Life and Finding Relief

Ron 2:09

I've spent most of my career in corporate America . This was a travel week for me . I flew out from Denver to Dallas at the beginning of the business week . It was a relatively slow week meeting-wise , but while in Dallas , I had the opportunity to visit with a couple of new colleagues who I've met at our corporate site out there , both young men who are active in the corporate world , just as I have been for the past 30 plus years , and although the travel is quite difficult for me , both mentally and physically yeah , it's exhausting . I do appreciate , though , and I look forward to the opportunities to talk with young people in our company who are walking through the same career doors that I walked through so many years ago right out of college . So I love the opportunity to talk with these young professionals and I'm trying to be a listening ear and give some advice when I can , and , as someone once told me , just do no harm . So I try to listen , get some advice and do no harm .

Ron 3:24

But here's where it gets tricky in those conversations for me , as you know , listening to this podcast , you're well aware that what brings relief to me relief from the stresses of work , relief from the endless 24-hour news cycles and social media and , you know , stresses of life what brings me calm is knowing that when I get home like in this case , when I'm traveling . As soon as I can get to my motorcycle , if weather permits , I'm going for a ride . So I say these conversations get a little bit tricky in the Dallas-Fort Worth area because these days there's not much country left out there to ride in . Riding a motorcycle just about anywhere in any metropolitan area is somewhat deadly , given the traffic and attitudes that some people sometimes write . I wouldn't do it for anything these days . So I can't necessarily share with these young professionals how I deal with stress myself , which is kind of sad because what I do tell them anyway , as an alternative to motorcycle riding , find something that you can just pour yourself into , something meaningful , something that has nothing to do with computers , I hope , because you're in front of a computer all day long . You need to get away from that thing , but rather go and enjoy yourself doing something , pour into yourself some happiness with no guilt , knowing that what you're doing for yourself you're also doing for your spouse , your family and so forth . It makes you a better person . If all goes well , you'll come home from whatever you do a better person , and that's my hope for myself when I go for a motorcycle ride , when my wife understands that I just need to go out for a ride every once in a while . Quite often she knows that I'm going to come back more relaxed and , hopefully , a better person . So that's what I try to share with these young people .

The Gratitude of the Open Road

Ron 5:51

As I got back home from that Dallas trip the very next day , as quickly as I could I got on my motorcycle and I went for a ride in the country . It's very hard to describe that feeling , isn't it ? The easiest way I can say , and I guess the most direct thing to say about riding a motorcycle for me is it makes me really happy . I feel very focused , yet relaxed . I guess most importantly between us , I just feel really grateful . I just feel so grateful for the opportunity to ride out here where I live . I'm just overwhelmed with gratitude . If I'm doing anything right , I'm remembering to say thank you . So many of us know that feeling right . The wind , the sound of the engine , the open road stretching out in front of us it's wonderful , isn't it Just grasping this mindfulness thing , though on a motorcycle , or doing anything for that matter , that mindfulness thing can really be a mystery , but honestly , I think we're overthinking it .

Ron 7:03

And , just as I mentioned in the beginning . What does an 11-year-old on a minibike know about mindfulness ? Well , I think he knew a lot . I think I knew a whole lot about mindfulness . I just didn't call it that . Just didn't call it that . Maybe I referred to it or thought of it as zoning out when I was out on the rides on those country roads , out in back of our house . But yeah , you know , I don't think I was zoning out at all , I think I was zoning in and maybe that's mindfulness . Well , we've been talking a while , but I'm ready to go for a ride , Are you ? Yeah , hey , it may be virtual right now , but I'm going to do my best to go back to my 11-year-old self how I felt Before I even understood the concept of responsibility . Maybe those were really , really good days . Let's go back there together .

Mindful Riding: Engaging All Your Senses

Ron 8:27

While you observe the road ahead , you start to notice the details , the changing landscape , the cloud formations , the colors . You just don't see . You really observe it , feel like you're a part of it . It's like you're not moving at all . Rather , the world's just moving past you now , out on the road , you listen to the symphony of that well-engineered engine underneath you . The wind rushing past , you catch the faint sound of a bird . You notice the tones and the rhythms of the road . In your bike , you start to pay attention to the vibrations that are in your handlebars , the feeling of the wind on your body even the direction of the wind may be coming a little bit more from one side than the other the pressure of your feet on the pegs , the way the bike responds to your guidance , not just with your hands , but with your feet , even your hips , giving the motorcycle guidance down the road . And sometimes you start to catch the smells the smell of a pine , even a distant shower , fresh cut grass .

Ron 10:01

How's your stress now ? Are your shoulders tense ? Are you gripping the handlebars a little too tight ? Being tense makes you tired , and you don't want to be tired on a day like this . So relax and don't let the busy life that you just rode away from creep in . When your mind starts to wander to your to-do list , to past conversations , to meetings , to missed deadlines , bring yourself back again , in my case to my 11-year-old self . I am writing , I'm here and I'm so grateful for this experience . Right now , so long you're right , thoughts are going to come and go , thoughts about the week ahead , no matter what pressures you may be facing , whether it's your job , relationships , money . Yeah , those things are important , those things are real . No-transcript .

Ron 11:41

Now , at some point it's time to come back home , isn't it ? We just make giant loops when we

Coming Home: The Blessing of Motorcycling

Ron 11:48

go for rides anyway . We always come back home eventually , most of us . So , once you've parked your bike , take a moment before you even take your helmet off . Just sit for a moment , feel the warmth of that engine , and this is kind of cool . If you've not done it before , listen to the gentle I don't know what would you call it Tinking the little crackling sounds of steel as your motor cools . You know that sound . Have you ever stayed around long enough to listen to it ? Just listen to it for a few minutes . It's kind of cool . And I would encourage you this before you go out of the garage and turn the light out , express gratitude for the experience you just had , for the machine , for the open road , for the opportunity to connect with yourself .

Ron 12:50

Now , I know that we talk about gratitude all the time , but I think it bears repeating . If you are fortunate enough to have a motorcycle in the garage and you have the physical and mental capacity to ride it , well , my friend , you are blessed , you are blessed , you are blessed . As much as I dread the business trips sometimes , I think it's a healthy reminder . When I see the people living under bridges and on the side of the road begging for money , I'm reminded of how so very blessed I have been to have a motorcycle all these years and people around me who care . Imagine a world where everyone has the opportunity to recharge , to find their center , to truly live in the moment . My friends , that opportunity is sitting in your garage .

The Power of Mindful Motorcycling

Ron 14:09

That's the power of mindful motorcycling . It's not about going fast , it's not about going far , it's not about having the coolest bike . It's about going deeper . Maybe that ride will take you back to a time when , even as a kid , you were zoned in . Huh . Maybe that's the peace of mind we're all looking for , as always . Thank you so much for listening . Until next time , I do wish you peace and I wish you love . Thank you .