Dirtbike Metaphors for Life, from a DB Newbie. Part I.

On my 32nd birthday we
picked strawberries
and bought me pink
motocross boots

I never thought I would learn to ride a dirtbike at 32. Or at all. Ever. Seriously. I didn't know what to make of it when Tim pulled up one night followed by a tow truck carrying his brand new bike. He didn't have a dirtbike when we met or for the two years we dated before this fateful night. He may have mentioned in passing how much fun he had when younger and riding... but I had no clue it was still in him. All I could see when he came home that night was that he was ecstatic. Grinning from ear to ear. So, I told him I was really happy for him and watched the bike get settled into it's new home. I pretty much thought I was done thinking about it.

Fast forward another year, and that dirtbike is still sitting there. It had been out a few times, but let's be honest, it's tough to ride a dirtbike in the city. Times have changed. His buddies who had bikes when they were younger don't anymore. And these are motorcycles that aren't "street legal". And yes, we live in downtown Philadelphia. So here is when I step in with my big mouth and say "maybe I should learn...?"

Tim is an amazing teacher. I still have a long way to go, but I find myself often meditating on the intersection between dirtbikes and life and dirtbikes and yoga. This process of learning and assimilating something so new and so foreign into my life as an adult has been an interesting journey.  There's so much more out there for me to take in and in return, I already feel I have grown so much....

Focus on where you want to go, 

not what you are afraid of hitting

The hardest thing about riding on rocks (which Pennsylvania is notorious for) is not looking at the particularly gnarly ones... because your bike will GO RIGHT THERE. This has been a huge struggle for me. I see scary things and I stare. And then I'm either rolling over them clenching my handlebars or I've dropped my bike and am faced with the awful task of picking it back up (often on a hill).  Focusing instead on the path I want to take will continue to be a mental challenge, but it will sooo be worth it when it becomes second nature.

I know now that you can see those rocks in your peripheral vision and acknowledge they are there and you want to avoid them. But don't FOCUS on them. Don't watch them. Don't obsess about hitting them.... just don't go there! When you are doing something hard, look at the path you want to take. Recognize the challenges off to the side that may come into play, but by no means stare at them.
Focus on the path you want to take!