End of the road

[Houtman_imp]

That was un horrible "thing " you went through , I have to greatly admire your outlook on life . I hope that you still have a good and healthy time ahead of you.

[VLJ_imp]

If it were just me, and I could afford it, meaning I came out of this in better financial straights, then I would probably hop right back on and keep riding. That is, assuming I will be physically able to keep riding. Dunno yet, on that one.

It's not just me, though. People who mean a lot to me are horrified by what happened to me, and they know my two previous neuro-spinal reconstructions were the result of motorcycle crashes. They already did not want me on a bike anymore, precisely because of what happened this time. "It's not you. I trust you not to crash. It's everyone else. At any moment, some idiot could be texting while driving, or fall asleep, or just be plain stupid, and hit you. It doesn't have to be your fault. With the way your neck is now, this easily could have been the end for you. It almost was the end of you. You can't risk it again."

I don't want to put those people through the constant worry.

[the Ferret]

That's perfectly understandable VLJ.

[Nortoon_imp]

Perhaps it's time for a Hummer convertible.

[the Ferret]

It's funny, but in 1969 I was riding my CL77 305 Scrambler home and a lady in a green 54 Dodge turned left in front of me. I hit her in the front passenger door, totaling my bike and leaving me with a concussion (unconscious for 45 mins on the road), broken nose, 7 broken teeth, broken right hand, broken right foot, and a ton of serious bruises. I was recovering at my mom & dad's house. I remember it hurt, a lot, all over. I also remember telling my mom, I thought I was going to quit riding. I had been riding for 4 years, and she knew how much I loved riding. She said to me, "if you do, you will regret it the rest of your life". Not exactly the thing you'd expect a mother taking care of her broken kid to say, but she was right (Thanks Mom). I'd have missed an awful lot of great adventures had I quit riding after that wreck. So when I recovered I bought a new green/white 69 CB 350 Honda and have joyously ridden nearly every day since. I think the difference between then and now for me would be the age thing. At 19 you still have a lot of living and experiencing to do and you bounce back from injury pretty well. If that happened to me today, at a soon to be 70, I'm sure I would be done. With a wife, 2 kids, and 5 grand kids, it's not just me anymore. There are more people to think about, so I understand what a tough decision this must be for VLJ. Plus who wants to be hurt again?

[GoldOxide_imp]

Another honest perspective can be: At retirement age, the kids are more than adults now, the grandchildren are actually their own, so that leaves the spouse. One might say it would be irresponsible and selfish to put oneself in danger and risk leaving the spouse out to hang. Others might say (e.g. the spouse and/or their friends), "Go for it love! It has been a wonderful life together. Life insurance up-to-date?"

Some grandchildren might even celebrate the fact that, " ... my grandparents are cool! They ride motorcycles!" ... and yadda, yadda.

Of course, being serious, ... if one does get seriously debilitated - like "vegetable-like", then that would be a real drag on dependents like the spouse. That would be unfair. So discuss a contingency plan with your partner before hand.

[LongRanger_imp]

I hate this thread.

[GoldOxide_imp]

Understood. Sorry mate.

Our meat jackets are ephemeral.

[Bazbro_imp]

You're a long time dead... make the most of what you have, while you're here.

[pdedse]

I hate this thread.

Maybe the following is all "too out there", but it's been on my mind...

This IS a difficult thread. We enjoy our bikes for many reasons: the simple thrill of flying, the places we go to we otherwise wouldn't, learning about the mechanics of our spacecrafts, the friendships that develop who share a passion, the sense of freedom an outing offers up, the satisfaction of working on them to whatever degree we do--and we all could add many more ideas.

We rack up miles, experiences, trips, adventures...perhaps years and years on our bikes. And we do this all the while knowing that "IT" could happen on any given ride. We simply think "but it won't happen to me, not today". Yet we know it does happen to someone. I suppose a cyclist's decision to ride is similar to surfers who takes their chances knowing that a shark could utterly ruin their day, their very future.

So we block it out. IT happens to unknown "others" and we're reminded through the news reports, we're reminded that once again it happens to others and we remain convinced that while it could happen to us...it won't. Not today, not to me.

And then...VLJ starts a thread "End of the road" and before we even open it, a sick sense of dread begins to form. Now it has happened to one that we "know" as well as one can on an internet forum. Our thought process (promise?) of "not today, not to me" seems hollow, false. VLJ's reality reminds us of our vulnerable-ness "out there". So it is a difficult thread. But a good one. For it makes us ask ourselves the questions we need to ask if we're to continue to enjoy the ride.

May you continue to progress towards complete recovery.