Lovely moment at side of road.

[SheepDog]

Had a lovely moment when resting at the 'Nothbrook Creek' rest area, Wivenhoe Somerset Rd this morning.

I had a young lady stop and talk to me about my 1400. Seems her father owned one basically the same (blue and white) and rode it every day to work. She mentioned that it made him happy and relaxed and less stressed when returning home after work each day (rather driving the car and getting caught in traffic etc). I have my bike clean and shinning and this too was how her father had it. She was just 'sharing' if you know what I mean. All the time I'm standing there other bikers are going past and waving to me and vise versa. I explained the relaxed culture.

She finally said that he passed away from cancer a few years ago. He was only 57. She started to choke up a little bit.

Anyway .... I just listened and chipped in with conversation when I could. She had just come from a wedding the other day for her brother and she just reflected how her father wasn't there. I shared a story of my mother in-law passing from cancer as well. Seems we all have been touched in someway by this mongrel of a thing cancer. We talked for at least half an hour by the road.

We wished each other well and went our separate ways, knowing she is maybe better for the 'sharing'. I know I was.

I road home taking in more of the road, more of the country side, more of the thrill of every corner, and to just been here. I'm 56.

[grog]

Great story mate. Cancer sucks but if you get thru it, life becomes clearer. Both me and my wife survivors.

[Sweaty]

Nice story SheepDog. Good onya 

[VladTepes]

That's great thanks for sharing !

[Kiwifruit]

Uplifting story Sheepy.

They say stop and smell the roses. on a bike you do get to smell the surroundings as you ride along.

[froudy]

Thanks for sharing that @SheepDog

It's good to have moments like this however busy and stressed our days are. They definitely make you feel better about life.

[MarkN]

Lost my father 18 years ago to this hateful disease, seems like only yesterday. Funny how bikes can bring people together, I've just got home after a ride out to RAF Coningsby to watch the Typhoons play and two complete strangers came up to me and started talking. One of them was a 72 year old who is still riding around on a 1964 Trumpet, so at 55 I've got a few years left. Hopefully

[SheepDog]

Lost my father 18 years ago to this hateful disease, seems like only yesterday. Funny how bikes can bring people together, I've just got home after a ride out to RAF Coningsby to watch the Typhoons play and two complete strangers came up to me and started talking. One of them was a 72 year old who is still riding around on a 1964 Trumpet, so at 55 I've got a few years left. Hopefully

I think it's great how we stumble into people on bikes where ever we are, and we're all comfortable just chatting and conversing. It's gotta be the bikes. It's not my jokes, they're too old like me. 

Out the back of Brisbane here we have RAAF training but they use the massive air cargo planes that look like buses lumbering around in the sky above us. Quite dramatic in the way they throw them around.

[VladTepes]

Out the back of Brisbane here we have RAAF training but they use the massive air cargo planes that look like buses lumbering around in the sky above us.

C17's.  Not as impressive as the F-111's we used to have eh.

[GSXKING]

That story was told fantastically by you Sheepdog I enjoyed it thoroughly.
Keep up the good work and the camaraderie of fellow motorcycling people. 

[Mister Fishfinger]

Uplifting story Sheepy.

They say stop and smell the roses. on a bike you do get to smell the surroundings as you ride along.

That's true KWF. I remember how Robert M Pirsig described it in 'Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance' - in a car you are looking at the environment through a window, it's just like TV. On a bike you are in the environment, you are part of it.

This lovely story reminds us we need to slow down and enjoy it from time to time.

[VladTepes]

@Mister Fishfinger  yes good book that, might be time for a re-visit

[Sir Prancelot]

Hi,

Read the book in the early 1980's, anyhow I was sitting the doctors surgery yesterday, nothing servious  just a tablet review, having looked at all the old magazines my eye was drawn to a book case of secondhand books for sale for charity . I went and had a look and low and behold there on the shelf was a copy of the 25th anniversary edition of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle  Maintenance. so i brought it . You could not make this up.

[Mister Fishfinger]

There you go, you have to read it now.