Recently I learned how to ride a bike for the first time... and when I say bike, I mean a 200cc off-road motorcycle, not a bicycle. Yeah... I can be badass...Normally, I never would have done anything like this in my life. I'm not a natural-born daredevil like some of you out there. So this was new territory for me. Suffice it to say that I wasn't expecting too much of a kick from the motorcycle engine. Proves how much I know...
Off I went, careering down the dirt path at what felt like light-speed. What really caught me off guard was the accelerator. I tried to get it under control, but the more low hills I ramped over, and the more tires I narrowly dodged, the more I seemed to increase the speed. I guess I panicked. Before I knew it, I was making a B-line for a row of white tires. Uh oh! I bailed.
Thwack! Right into the dirt. I lay there looking up at the sky for about a minute before sticking my thumb in the air, just to let onlookers know I was still alive. I swayed dizzily to my feet. Back on the bike, back on the path, back in the dirt. This time, the bike crashed into a tree and I broke the handle bar. Back on the bike, back on the path. After a little coaching from my dad, who'd grown up doing this sort of thing, I managed to complete one whole circuit on my own. Hey, I was new to riding, okay. But after my third wipe out, I was done. Better stick to 125cc and the quad bike for the rest of the day, I thought.
With all the falls and bruises came an epiphany. It's like I heard a voice in my head whisper,
"What makes a man is not how many times he falls, but how many times he decides to get up again."
Shortly after this, my sister and I went to go see the movie 'Point Break'. Wicked cool movie! But boy am I glad I didn't see it before attempting motorcycle riding... Never would have set foot on the track.
In the first scene of the film, the main character Johnny Utah and his friend Jeff are attempting to ride their motorcycles across this stretch of desert called the Spine. The run ends with a long jump onto a solitary rock column. Jeff is having second thoughts, but Utah is determined. If they make this run, they'll be the first ever to do it! Utah digs the challenge. They take off, and there's this really cool run sequence across the Spine. Cinematography to rival the Hobbit Trilogy.
Then the jump.
Utah goes first. I'm on the edge of my seat, literally, gulping down dread... I know exactly what they're building up to. After years of watching movies - I. Just. Know...
Utah makes it, turns the bike around in a sweep of dust and exhilaration, grinning as Jeff proceeds to make the jump. He sails a perfect arch through the air, passes the edge of the column, over Utah's head - but... he's overshot it. Bending around, the back wheel of his motorbike suddenly dips over the edge. Grinding and chiseling into the stone, his wheels are screaming to not fall over the edge. Jeff is yelling too. Utah grabs the handlebar and puts his back into trying to pull Jeff to safety. But it's just too heavy.
Utah watches as his friend falls, bike and body, to the sand below. Over his head, the chopping blades of a helicopter are ready to lift him from the column, but he stands there - shaken. He bends back and lets out a furious yell. If only he hadn't pushed his luck, their luck. Now Jeff is dead.
Cut to several years later, and now Utah's an FBI candidate.
The rest of the movie's pretty killer... (too soon?)
I give it a 9/10. Definitely worth your while, especially if your into extreme sports which, I'm not, but I still loved it. What I took away from the film can really be some up in the quote that first appears in the trailer to 'Point Break':
"There are some who do not fear death
for they are more afraid of not really living."
- Ancient Proverb
For me that's just a fantastic mantra to have for life. Which would you rather have; a life that is safe and secluded, or one where you are not afraid to push the limits and because of this you live a fuller, more complete life? The answer feels automatic, but in practice it's a whole other bike ride.
I know which life I'd rather live, and I challenge you to do the same. Live to your limit, your 'point break'. Otherwise, how will you know you're living at all?
Anyway, that's me. Cheers guys!
