On Turning 43…
Frogwing and I both turned 43 this weekend.
He turned over 43,000 miles, and I turned over 43 years old. Both of us at the approximate halfway point in our lives. Serendipity, that. So to celebrate, we went riding.
I forgot the camera.
That’s alright, though, in a way. It allowed us an uninterrupted flow as we wandered down roads we have haunted together over the past three years. Yes, Frogwing is only three years old. I fear I am using him up too fast.
We rode past the house my parents lived in as a young married couple, with a baby me to deal with. Then we rode past the apartment they moved to later on, for reasons I forgot to ask about. Am I getting absent-minded in my middle age? Maybe I had better start paying attention to all the ads… I’m sure somebody makes a pill for this.
Although my weekend was three days long, it all passed by in a flash. I slept much of it away, because insomnia has been dogging me for the last few weeks.
I would hate to think this had anything to do with the birthday just past, but I suppose it does. Wide awake during the wee hours, in the dark, I surrender to the temptation to take inventory.
There is no greater critic than he who knows all your secrets. Sometimes it feels like being judged in front of the pearly gates, if you believe in that sort of thing.
So here I sit, in the attic, in the dark yet again, tapping away when I should be sleeping. I feel another Ramble Plan coming on. This one will take in those places I mentioned, as they are all relatively local, and easily within range of a Rush Hour Ramble.
Maybe this will help me to find some peace when the lights go out. Let’s hope so. Oh, and this time I will remember to take the camera.
August 22nd, 2006 at 6:51 am
Congratulations on turning 43. A mere pup. There is a foreboding in this post as you revisit the past as you project towards the future. I’m familiar with the mental mathmatics that goes on when considering longevity.
I think writing and purposeful riding can focus thoughts (and fears). I could not help but think that late night inventories, birthdays, and a sense of growing older might be brewing your insomnia.
For what its worth I’ve found life growing richer as I get older.
And 43000 miles in three years—wow.
steve
August 22nd, 2006 at 8:51 am
Congratulations Gary. I can almost remember being 43 (kidding). With 62 just around the corner, I have to agree with Steve that life has just gotten better and more rewarding.
Growing older is not for the faint of heart. There a quite a few changes and issues to deal with. Still and all, I find this to be one of the best times of my life. Most of the B.S. is behind and I’m able to move forward on my own path with little concern for how the rest of the world would like me to be.
Introspection can be interesting and fun but remember that, with proper maintenance, both you and Frogwing still have a lot of usable miles left. Don’t lose that positive attitude.
Happy Birthday!
August 22nd, 2006 at 12:56 pm
Happy Birthday
“Both of us at the approximate halfway point in our lives”
Okay, that comment bothers me. Not so much for myself, I’m 44 and cool with that (only one way I know to stop getting older – not a good option). What bothers me is my bike has just past 80,000 mi. at just shy of 4 years.
This is my first motorized bike, so I don’t know a lot about their longevity. But, I love this bike (03 BMW roadster), is it now in its twilight? What are the signs? Should I be prepareing for its retirement?
Say it ain’t so.
August 22nd, 2006 at 1:16 pm
Happy birthday Gary! Another year successfully conquered, both for yourself and Frogwing as well. Congrats!
I just spent about an hour here getting back up to speed on all the happenings in your blog. That como cruise must have been a truly amazing ride, because it showed in your re-telling of it.
Just this week I revisited my old childhood haunts as well, though it was in the truck. Had to go to Home Depot in Grand Rapids, and I made the tour down around the lake to the old home there. Lots of memories, man.
Keep those ramble plans coming, I’m diggin’ em.
August 22nd, 2006 at 5:44 pm
Happy Birthday Gary,
All my childhood haunts are in different states, and countries, but I plan on visiting them on two wheels, in due time.
Take care,
rey
August 22nd, 2006 at 7:47 pm
Happy Birthday Gary, and many happy returns.
August 22nd, 2006 at 9:26 pm
Happy birthday you old scribe! Just another ring in the tree of life. Have fun. Bill
August 22nd, 2006 at 9:34 pm
Happy Birthday!
A mere 43? Just a young whippersnapper!
I just finished a 3200 mile ride through Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, and Arizona. And I’m a lot older than you! So, don’t start feeling ooooold just yet!
August 23rd, 2006 at 12:10 am
Happy Birthday Gary. That’s interesting about you and Frogwing hitting the 43 mark. My bike just hit 11,000, but sadly, 11 yrs old was too far back to remember, lol!! For me 43 was a breeze (now 46), but when I hit 40, now that was hard. I got insomnia, which was the least of all that happened. Just keep writing and don’t worry. You are actually a pup (me too!!!) compared to those who are 80 years young.
Wishing you much needed sleep,
Betty
August 23rd, 2006 at 9:07 am
Happy birthday buddy. 43 huh? Prime time, that’s what I call it. Anyhow you keep writing and I’ll keep reading.
thank’s for the storys
jim
August 23rd, 2006 at 11:14 am
Just turned 53 myself. Getting old is not for the weak, I can tell you. Maybe when we get there, we can have a motorized walker!
Jeff C, your motorcycle is just a young thing. BMW motorcycles last much longer than most as they are so understressed. Less horsepower per cc displacement means they live a longer lifespan. I’m sure there is something significant there, but I’m too tired to figure it out.
August 23rd, 2006 at 11:16 am
Happy belated birthday.
It’s okay to get the melancholies around your birthday… it’s what you do with them that’s important.
I think a “tour” is a fantastic way to mark your birthday. I occasionally will go to my childhood haunts, drive by my high school or my first job or that high school ex-girlfriend’s house and think about how different life might be… not necessarily better or worse, just different.
Then I go home and look at pictures of my kids and other loved ones and think about how happy I am that they’re in my life. (g)
Peace.
~S
August 23rd, 2006 at 11:29 am
Wow, you folks have been busy…
Let me do it this way: Thanks to everyone who wished me a Happy Birthday! That wasn’t the purpose of the post, so much as noting the fact that Frogwing and I turned 43 at the same time.
Every birthday after 40 has been a blessing, really, because when I was younger, I was almost certain I would never reach this age. I intended to live fast, die young, blah blah blah…
Well, James Dean I am not. Now that I am Emily’s Daddy, there are certain risks and liberties I choose not to take anymore. But I do miss the wild days, and sometimes that keeps me awake at night. So what? Life goes on.
Steve: You’re right. Late night inventories are to be avoided, since you can’t do anything about anything when you’re supposed to be sleeping.
Dan: I will be very happy when the BS is finally behind me. It seems to regenerate at a prodigious rate, these days.
Jeff C.: It never fails… mention the number of miles you ride, and some BMW geek has got to chime in with a number at least twice as heavy. It’s like a law or something. Don’t you people work for a living?
I wouldn’t worry about your bike, though. BMW’s are reputed to last forever, with proper maintenance. I believe yours is just about broken in now, so you can go ahead and give `er full throttle once in awhile. ;^)
Lyle: You inspire me, sir!
Again, thanks everybody.
Ride well,
=gc=
September 26th, 2006 at 6:30 pm
My pc at work suffered a near fatal fit and I had to reinstall everything from scratch, including my RSS feeds. Ever since then I’ve been haunted by a feeling that I was missing something in my life. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it until you posted on my blog the other day: I hadn’t got your feed in my aggregator! I’m weeks behind now but I will be catching up gradually.
Belated happy birthday mate and may Frogwing never fail you no matter how many miles she does.
Oh and man you’re old!