As an artist, I tend to look for meaning in everything. In that pursuit, I have found endless inspiration; other times, I have forced significance where it didn’t belong. There is a careful balance of awareness and mindfulness that we as artists dance between. Although Mindfulness is quite the buzzword these days, let's be honest, intentional awareness can have a dark side, too.
One of the great things about riding motorcycles long-distance is the time we have to reflect. Long rides take us through a rollercoaster of thoughts—inner conversations we often forget, though sometimes a theme sticks and stays. It was on a recent trip to the Gaspé Peninsula in the northeastern section of Quebec that I had a meaningful takeaway.
Over the last few years, my life has experienced an abnormal uptick in chaos. Some called it a midlife crisis, but I now prefer to call it my midlife reassessment. During that time, a series of events had changed what I wanted out of life, and I was given the insight and ability to prioritize what served me and was truly meaningful. Over that period, I lost friends, mentors, and walked away from a safe job and career that I spent years mastering and becoming an expert in.
Deciding what you want and creating a plan to get it is easy, but it's in the execution and blind faith in oneself that takes real courage. Some days I find myself feeling nostalgic and missing people and things in my past. It’s my self-doubt that has me questioning if I made the right decision to pursue my passion for all things two wheels. It’s with the clearest of minds that I know I did the right thing. Whether it’s the outpouring support I have received from the motorcycle community or the love and encouragement from my spiritual soulmates I have met over the years, I continue to find solace in my decisions.
It was while riding through the northwoods and along the coastal roads of Quebec that the lesson truly landed. Out there, discovering new roads and leaning into new blind corners, I am reminded that I have one choice if I want to make it to the other side safely, and that is to have faith in my abilities. We spend a lifetime honing and developing who we are and what we’ll become (whether we are mindful or aware of it). One thing is for sure: trusting oneself and following through with our choices is the only answer. It may be scary. It may require some blind faith. But ultimately, we know we cannot look backwards. Moving forward is the only way.
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