Around The Bend: See the world from my Harley

As another birthday looms and I am reaching the “age”, you might know the one I speak of, when you come to that special realization that you have already looked the best you ever will and the future is promising … but only twinges and aches…I find I remember the weirdest stuff. The name of the teacher in 4 th grade that ended up being locked in the looney bin the year AFTER I had her (Mrs. Aubrey), the truant officers showing up to give me a special escort back to school (how special is THAT?), the boyfriend dated only because he had a Harley and was in a band (TRUE love). All the weirdness that combines to be our lives suddenly is H-I-S-T-O-R-Y. And in my world, it all is set to music.

Every mania, every craze, every party, every THING has a song tied to it and lately, the song; Motorcycle MommabySailcat has been in my head. Do you remember that song from 1972? (Careful, if you do, then your age is showing)

Tell your daddy and your momma too

You’ve got something better to do

Stick around the house the rest of your life

You’re 18 you can do what you like

You’ll be the queen of the highway

My Motorcycle Momma

And we’ll see the world from my Harley

That was one of those songs that I aspired to become, a sacred song if you will. Ah, the freedom that represented to a 13 year old. Wind and sun in your face (pre-fear of winkles), hair blowing back, arms tight around that “wild” boy, headed down the road, destination: unknown.

I wanted to BE that Motorcycle Momma and upon entering the dreadful “teens” it became my ambition, my purpose in life. In a way, looking back now it’s clear that song gave me an “anthem”, carrying me, struggling, on the path to the “me” today. Along the way to becoming the “Queen of the Highway” (and I have the tiara to prove it) I had a lot of fun because of that choice to be involved in the “Bike Life”. And it WAS different in that era. There was also a lot of stupid dumb luck that kept me alive.

We’ll get matching jackets and helmets too

We’ll get respect from the towns we ride through

We’ll sleep at the roadside in the soft green grass

And if the squares go by we’ll let them pass

You’ll be the queen of the highway

My Motorcycle Momma

And we’ll see the world from my Harley

See the world from a Harley. I can’t help but wonder if the 4 th grade teacher, Mrs. Aubrey, would have enjoyed life more and missed spending her last years in the looney cartoony sanatorium had she made the decision to “see the world from a Harley”. I admit that my friends who ride are a bit, shall we say, crazy? But crazy in a good way, the way the thesaurus characterizes it: “wild, passionate, eccentric”.

We have an excellent existence and the bike is a part of the pleasure in our days, our months, and our years.

I, for one, know that life would not have been as exhilarating and pleasurable had I seen the world any other way, and...

We hope that you enjoyed reading this excerpt from "See the world from my Harley". If you would like to read the entire article and more, you can order a back issue of May / June 2004 where this article was originally published.

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