A question for you. Do you think of riding your motorcycle as going out to play? I mean, when you're out for a ride, either alone or with friends, do you think of it as going out to play? You know, I think we should. Just think about it. We're putting on gear, we're going out to the garage, we're starting up our bike, or maybe I should restate that, we're we're starting up that big toy that happens to have two wheels and an engine, and we ride away. Sometimes we don't even have a plan. We just get on and go. My friends, I think that that's play, and I think it's one of the most healthy, worthwhile things that we can be doing to support our mental health and overall well-being. I just believe that. Going out to play and having fun. How awesome is that? Well, let's talk about it. Thank you so much for joining me today. Stay tuned. Recorded in beautiful lovelin' 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. Back to when we were little kids, let's say around ten years old. I hope you did have a happy childhood. I'm very blessed that I did. So you'd hear the phone ring, and it's not this little supercomputer that you carry with you now, but no, it was a landline that was bolted onto the kitchen wall, probably with a ridiculously long coiled cord. Mom or dad would answer the phone, and a little voice on the other end would deliver the greatest invitation known to man. Can Ronnie come out to play? Wow. What a treasure that was to be able to get a call like that. Just in the past couple of years, I've reconnected with one of my childhood friends who, yeah, I met him when I was 10 years old in the third grade in Miss McGowan's class. Roger and I had a good visit over coffee, and we talked about our childhood playing together, going roller skating, going to the state fair. We also talked about our lives, our careers, families. Even shed a few tears here and there. But what a treasure it is, though, to think back to a time when all that we really cared about was, yeah, I mean, we've got school, but then we're gonna go play. It's pretty much those two things that were on my mind all the time. School and then going out to play. And it was friends like Roger who just made playing such a joy. So today things are a little bit more sophisticated, but have they really changed? Not really. We'll get a text from one of our buddies, Martin or Andreas or Brian, and they'll say, Hey, want to go for a ride? And let's just be honest, they're saying, Hey, Ron, can you come out to play? And that's the core, the beauty, the hilarious truth about this thing we love. Yes, it's transportation. Yes, it's a brilliant means of travel. But if you strip it all away, the helmet, the gear, the GPS, and what's left is this same pure play that we experienced as kids. We've just traded our bicycle for this machine with a slightly more, slightly more horsepower. And what a gift it is, right? To have this adult-sanctioned way to tap back into the simple, glorious state of being. So now, let's talk about squirrels. Yeah, squirrels. Every morning in the summer, I take my coffee out to the patio, not to read the news, but to watch and listen. I watch the hummingbirds and the rabbits, and especially the squirrels. Recently I was watching three little squirrels, siblings, I assume. It was both amazing and hilarious. They were they weren't out foraging for food. They were just chasing each other around, even hanging upside down, playing this crazy game of tag that looked like furry, four-legged acrobatics. It was it was hilarious. I watched them and I think, yeah, they're having a ball. Forget about survival mode. These guys are just out on recess. They're out playing. And it's not some fluffy observation. It's it's something serious, isn't it? I honestly believe that it is. There's a purpose behind it. I heard a segment on National Public Radio about the critical importance of play in a child's development, and it was presented by a neuroscientist. She described how kids, when they play alone, talking out loud to themselves, they're actually engaging in a two-way conversation, one that's developing their brain. By the way, they didn't talk to themselves typically if they were in front of a computer. No, they were away from a screen with their hands on toys or the dirt or whatever. That's when they talk to themselves. She said they're building essential cognitive pathways in their brain when that happens, typically. Play helps children develop their physical, social, and emotional and cognitive skills. Well, I'm no neuroscientist. I can barely spell it or pronounce it, but I would argue that that's the same thing for you and I out on a motorcycle. I'm convinced that all those elements, physical concentration, social camaraderie, emotional release, and the cognitive problem solving, like dealing with the wind, precise cornering and stopping, staying safe, all of that comes into perfect alignment when we swing our leg over a motorcycle and head out. You know, if it's good weather, I try to ride every single day. If it's good enough weather, I'll ride when it's really cold. Can't ride when it's icy, but just about every other time, I'll be out riding. Maybe it's a quick loop through the foothills or just a weekend blast through the mountains, wherever I can be, but I'm out there and I'm not just an adult worrying about work or anything else. It takes a little while, sometimes, but I become transported. I'm transported back to my 10 or 11-year-old self, watching the movie on any Sunday for the very first time, and knowing that's what I want to do. I want to ride a motorcycle. And back to my conversation with my old friend Roger, he reminded me that when we truly play, we do go back in time to when we weren't even aware of anxiety and complexity. We didn't know about a mortgage, we didn't know about work stress or any kind of crazy politics or world events. At that moment of innocent play, we just were right there in the moment. Maybe mindfulness was being experienced, I don't know. But everything back in that time was perfectly in place, and everything was fine. So that's my challenge for you this week. Go back in time. In your mind, go back to a time before work stress, before mortgage, before the 24-hour news cycle. Go out on your motorcycle and play. Take the long way for no reason at all. Just ride. And if you want to ride with a friend, have some fun. Send them a text that says, Hey, can you come out to play? You might be just amazed by how much fun you'll generate just from that. If you enjoyed this podcast, thanks a lot for writing a review or telling your friends. I really appreciate it. Until we visit again, I wish you peace and I wish you love.