I Hope The Universe Loves You Today

A while back I was faced with the statement “that’s going to be a hard trip” from multiple people once I made mention of this journey. I’d scoff and reply with “if it was easy everyone would do it”. In fact, I went on to say that I was looking for hardship and welcomed the struggle so as to learn about myself. Funny how when you ask for success and happiness for your loved ones the repercussions don’t seem to appear clearly, if ever, yet I ask for trouble and the universe pulls out it’s largest, freshly polished, silver platter and serves me all 10 courses of conflict for days on end.

After the first issue you think it’s only normal to have to do some maintenance on the road. After the second you might start to think it was just bad luck. After the third, fourth and fifth scenario, you start to question what you did to deserve this. Did I wrong someone? Who was I in a passed life that I need to answer for all this now?

It wasn’t until crossing Angeles National Forest on Route 15 with the music off that I started to realize I would never have met Rod back in Colorado for some free grease. I would have never met the random people who stopped along the highway for us before meeting Joe who towed me to Aurora to then meet the veteran In the BMW Airhead world, Clem. I would have never met Chuck and have the pleasure of seeing a well put together personal garage. I would have never had the opportunity to speak with Brook Reams over the phone and get the help from the rest of the BMW community. I would have never had the pleasure of camping out in Patrick’s backyard and having some buffalo meat followed by a Navajo blessing before hitting the road. All of which, in hindsight, were meant to be.

It’s been quite an emotional roller coaster for when things go well our highs are super high, and when it’s time to level us out, our lows are below sea level with seldom anything in between. I know now more than ever, however, that after every dark night there is a brighter day.

On May 1st, 1994 racing world lost the great Ayrton Senna. Dr Sid Watkins has appeared on multiple documentaries telling about how, on that very morning, he turned to Senna and asked him not to race but to retire and come fishing with him. He recalls Senna pausing for a moment before saying simply that he could not quit. Period. My cousin asked me the other day why don’t I just put the kickstand down and catch a flight back home. Took me a minute to come up with my answer but everything in me pointed to the same response; that I couldn’t. I’m well beyond the point of no return and to quit would be impossible. After studying Ayrton Senna’s life and having to travel through 3 times zones I could finally connect with something in his character.

I regret nothing as we push forward only to  realize that life mimics what it’s like to be on two wheels in the sense that all you can do is go along for the ride.