Why Did the Turkey Cross the Road?

Because it wanted to see what the loud rolling things (motorcycles) would do if it did. The answer was “slow down and prepare to stop while the turkey kept on walkin'”. It’s the 12 second rule. Always look 12 seconds ahead of where you’re gonna be riding next.

Still, it was a big bird, and seeing it from a motorcycle was probably to everyone’s benefit, really. Someone driving car might not have seen it in time. With a motorcycle, your field of vision is larger due to no metal surrounding you.

While riding, I was thinking about why motorcycle riding is a good thing for me to do. When you’re riding a motorcycle, your wits have to be about you, so to speak. You’re living in the “here and now”, which removes focus from any anxiety a person might be feeling. When you’re focused on “right this minute”, it’s difficult to obsess about the future.

A trick I learned from “The Power of Now” that was especially useful, mid-anxiety, was to ask the question, “What is lacking from this moment?” The answer, devoid of any immediate danger to one’s life, is usually “nothing”.

I tried this today, while I was wondering how much of the $4,000 I was billed for my MRI that the insurance company would pay (holy crap). “What is lacking from this moment” forced me to look around at my environment, hear the water splashing, the kids laughing, the birds chirping, and think, “nothing”.