Bring Back that Sunny Day. (Goodbye Storm.)

“But I have never ever been a blue calm sea
I have always been a storm…
Always been a storm…
Oh always been a storm..
Always been a storm” 

Fleetwood Mac

About two weeks ago I lent my beloved Honda XR 250 Tornado, Storm, to a friend while his motorcycle was being fixed. On the afternoon I returned from a trip to Nicaragua (March 21) he had an accident with a GAO policeman. The policeman is presently in the hospital with a broken ankle, broken right foot, and broken nose. My friend is OK. Thank God it was not worse!

Storm, however, is not OK. Her frame is bent and this is considred “total loss.” To me, it doesn’t look too bad, but a friend says that fixing a bent frame can be dangerous in the future. Some agree, others disagree. With the kind of extreme routes I do, I will not take that kind of chance.

Storm was my first upgrade into a higher CC motorcycle. I know 250 CC is not much, but for me she made all the difference in the world in terms of keeping up with my friends. She often was among the great ones!

The thing about motorcycles is that they hold a lot of wonderful memories for their owners. They are not just “a thing.” They are an accumulation of experiences. So, some of us tend to get emotionally attached to our motorcycle. We associate them with “good times” and a special sense of ourselves.

For me, I consider my motorcycles my best friends. 🙂

Storm was the bike I used for my most adventurous rides. She is made for off-road riding (unlike Sahara, my CB 500X, which does go on wild adventures, but is not quite as agile as Storm).

Not having her now means that many routes I had planned to do with the rest of the summer I cannot do — like route 324 from Caballo Blanco to El Sur, for example. (Oh well. I will nevertheless have fun on Sahara! LOL)

I also like having two motorcycles for when one is getting work done at the mechanic. I truly need to always have a motorcycle available to me. 🙂 Riding is my source of joy and keeps me in a state of emotional balance.

My friend says he will pay me something for her. I trust he will. But it’s still a great loss.

We have both learned many lessons, the painfully hard way, as we often do. 😦

Yeah. People say it’s only a material thing. That is true. But this “thing” meant a lot to me. (Plus, it will cost me to buy a new second motorcycle, which I must do. And, sadly, this is only a few weeks after my son sold my XL 200, the Honda Tropical, which was also difficult for me. As Eve Ensler writes, “I am an emotional creature.” GRIN.)

Well, they say that “acceptance is the key to serenity.” I accept I have lost her. I accept I will have to spend money on a new second motorcycle. Not sure what that will be. (But I do already have a name for her! Hahahaha! You will find out when I have her.)

So. Life goes on.

Lessons are learned.

I know all is well and all will be well.

AND that I will continue

RIDING IN COSTA RICA: KNOW THE LOVE.

Date of accident: March 21, 2023 Date of this post: March 24, 2023.

Song: Stormy.

“All of a sudden, that ol’ rain’s fallin’ down
And my world is cloudy and gray
You’ve gone away

… Oh, Stormy, oh, Stormy
Bring back that sunny day…”

In truth, it is laughter that heals all wounds! Hahahhaha!