Life: The Adventure of a Lifetime

My Yahoo! 360 page is my blog that has all the other “stuff” that isn’t on this page; it is more of my ranting and musing of everyday life.   The major thing going on in my life (besides motorcycles that is) is my dear friend Mark.  I am going to lose him very soon.

All of this has had me thinking the past few days about life’s adventures.  I was talking to my girlfriend yesterday about the extraordinary experiences I have had and pondered this question:  if I were to go today, would I have regret for doing the things I have not or have done?

Without doubt or hesitation, I know that the answer is no.  I would have no regrets.  Well, I have moments in which I should have zigged when life zagged, but overall, no I do not wish that I had taken any different steps.   Only because in order for me to be in this very place at this very moment required me to go through all I’ve been through.  Where I stand is the sum total of what I’ve done.

Some life stories are extraordinarily good; some are downright terrible.  However, they are all mine and I cling to them because without them; exactly what is it that we are supposed to be doing?  Yes, it’s a risk to live…but on the flip side we are all dying and that is the end point that we all eventually come to.   Until that point comes, I choose to keep redefining my life.

One of my favorite sayings is “life is too short to drink bad wine….oh wait, you have to drink all wine before you can learn if it’s good or bad…..therefore life is too short to continue to drink bad wine”.   Mark was scheduled to have major surgery six weeks ago—something that needed to be done, but basically not life-threatening.  Yesterday he was given a week to live.  At this stage in the game of life there’s not much time or quality of life to live but a matter of waiting for the end.   As selfish as it is to want him to stay, I know in my heart that his suffering has to end and I need to let him go.

KT’s motto is:  “Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well-preserved body but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, a glass of a good cabernet in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming “WOO HOO WHAT A RIDE!”  She’s absolutely right.

I walked past my motorcycles yesterday and gave pause to a ride that won’t happen:  Mark won’t be here to ride with me this summer.  I will miss him, that’s for certain.  This is a reminder to live life as you should—embrace the opportunities that come your way, open a few doors if you have to.  Love the people that come into your life for whatever reason and let them go when you need to.  Appreciate the things you have—even if it is only to ride a mile down the road and you want so much more.  A lot of things can happen in that one mile; it’s up to you to recognize it and cherish the time instead of worrying about the end.  After all, the end is the chance for a better adventure to start isn’t it??

Not much of a motorcycle adventure, but a page out of this rider’s life.

Keep the Shiny Side Up!

~The Rainbow Wahine