Monday, April 23, 2007
Finally got out to the sun
So I finally made it to the beach this past Saturday. Gorgeous is the only word to describe the trip. From the weather, to the waves, to the women, beauty was literally all around me, and it was good. :) I managed to color my pale flesh a light shade of pink, but no burns. Thank Jebus for Australian Gold 35+ sunscreen...
It was great to get back out to Clearwater again. Knowing how bad the traffic can be, I got there around 11:00 and took up a spot near the pier. There were very few people on the beach at that hour, so I had a nice chunk of real estate all to myself for a little while. People slowly filtered in and for once, most of them were females. For some reason, I normally end up being surrounded by a bunch of loud-mouthed dudes when I venture out to Clearwater on my own. Thankfully, things were different this time.
At one point a drunk came meandering by, announcing his arrival, his departure, and his return to any ladies within ear shot. The females looked thrilled. A little later, some guido, complete with tribal tattoos, blowout hair, and a gait that was supposed to resemble a strut, sits down and starts bothering this young girl and her friend laying a few feet away from me. When they started laughing at him, he and his wingman got up and moved on to greener pastures. The whole exchange more or less made my day. I probably should have been bothering the same girls, but that's never been my style. Besides, without the tats and haircut, what hope did I possibly have?
Went straight from the beach to the cycle dealership. I couldn't have looked more out of place amongst all the chrome, jeans, and leather in board shorts and flip-flops. After a few minutes of staring at the two Deluxes they had on the floor, one of the salesmen decided to take a chance on the odd ball. We chatted for a bit, went back to the office and started playing the numbers game. Things got to the point that I wrote up my parts and gear wish lists, started pricing everything out, and filled out a credit app.
Went out to saddle up and feel the heft of Harley's nostalgia cruiser. The bike is so well balanced that it feels MUCH lighter than its listed dry weight of 700lbs. At one point, I was sitting on the bike with the kickstand up, both feet on the footboards, and was able to stand it up for a few seconds before it started slowly leaning toward the shift side. The seating positiong is perfect and the bike's center of gravity is very low. It felt good sitting still and I was amazed at how light the bike felt!
The thing about buying a Harley is that every dealership is adamant about getting MSRP, so the only real negotiating you can do is in the freight, prep, and extras. As far as the numbers go, I'm almost where I want to be, so it's very likely I'll be putting a deposit down on the bike tonight, potentially be picking it up Thursday or Friday. With any luck, pops and I will be able to do some riding this weekend. I need to get out in traffic in order to expand my understanding of what it means to be on a bike. Hopefully, the bike will be ready by Thursday, so that I can get some seat time in the neighborhood, and do some side street riding this weekend. Good times. :)
Labels: beach, motorcycles
Monday, March 12, 2007
Life's a beach
Couldn't this be Hell? In some ways, it is hard to imagine how Hell could be any harder on a soul than this modern world. Think about it. Your soul, or spirit, or life energy, is encapsulated (imprisoned?) in a casing made of fragile bits and pieces, all of which will eventually fail. Having been placed in this body, the soul/spirit/etc is confronted with the temporary nature of physical existence. We are all born to die, after all. So we should be able to take solace in the fact that this limited ride is only temporary, right?
Of course not, because the mind is always reminding us of our finite, physical existence. Some of us worry at the implications of limited life experience and "live as if there is no tomorrow". Others ignore the fact and act is if they will live forever. A rare few will find comfort in faith and embrace the idea of an eternal spirit, thereby trumping the mind's constant insistence that its end will be the end of everything. To overcome the incessant nature of death anxiety, most people seem to find some form of faith, eventually.
So the temporary nature of physical existence causes most of us stress at one point or another. Compounding this anxiety is the knowledge that this ride will not only be short, but will also be full of unpleasantness. From personal trials and tribulations, to the prices paid for living in a chaotic and violent world, the troubles of material existence are unavoidable if one is to exist honestly. As a result, the soul is exposed to innumerable examples of physical ugliness. If we are fortunate, these unpleasant experiences are counterbalanced by examples of beauty and goodness, so that we can develop a more level perspective.
Isn't the mind's fear of death and the duplicitous nature of humanity enough torture for an healthy soul? If the soul is our link to the eternal beauty of metaphysical existence, how could it NOT be suffering while it is forced to deal with the pain humans bring upon one another in the name of selfishness or hatred? Every act of ugliness has to wound the soul in some fashion, as each act is a strike against the beauty from which our spirits are drawn. I'm not talking about sinning or sins against some god here; I'm talking about sins against ourselves, and the beating beauty takes in this world. In a world where beauty is constantly trying to be claimed, exploited, or marginalized, the spirit is bound to take a pounding.
Just some thoughts I had while at work this morning.
Speaking of beauty, I managed to get out on the beach for the first time this season Saturday afternoon. The weather was utterly gorgeous! The sun was up, but not too strong, a steady sea breeze was rolling in off the gulf, and there was hardly a cloud in the sky. It was one of those postcard days that make living here worth the strain. I swung by to pick up D, my BB 'little', and we decided to meet Bryan and Anne at the pet beach, since they were headed there with their lab pup Cody.
D's mom is beach averse, so the poor kid has not had many opportunities to partake in Florida's greatest asset. What could be more tragic than growing up in Florida and NOT hitting the beach at least semi-regularly?? I will definitely have to help the little dude out on that front.
It's fun to watch kids at the beach, because you realize that they are having an entirely different experience than you are as an adult. When he wasn't getting dragged around by Cody, D was chasing minnows and investigating the aquatic wildlife swimming around in the tide pools. Good times.
Labels: beach, life, spirituality