Bucket list — Blog

One life, one love

At a wedding last weekend, a longtime friend said her husband is going on a one year long motorcycle trip. Around the whole world. Solo. He’s already handed in his resignation notice at work, and is set to depart later this month. My friend is incredibly brave to allow the husband to do this. They’re going to subscribe to one of those GPS devices that mountaineers and boaters use, so she will know exactly where he is at all times.

No doubt a year-long motorcycling adventure is something the husband has wanted to do for a long time. The COVID-19 pandemic has a way to alter how people face their mortality. It can all be taken away from you so quickly, so why not live the way you want? And do the thing you want to do? I wish I had the balls to make a move like that. I’ve long wanted to drop everything of this current life and move my ass to Asia somewhere. That would be my grand adventure.

But it would be too drastic, honestly, with very little fall back. Sometimes I wish I can take a year off from work - an unpaid sabbatical - so that I can take up that challenge. Should I crash and burn over on the other side of the world, I can always come back to this current job in twelve months. Campus faculty is able to take sabbatical, why not the staff? They wouldn’t even have to pay me!

Kudos to that gentleman for shouting YOLO and going for it. I’m sure my friend will be latently worried the entire time, but for sure she understands he will come back a better and more satisfied person. There’s only this one life!

I should get a motorcycle...

Now that I am settled into my new place, and life has returned to a Groundhog Day-like similarity, it’s time to think about things to do to break that boring equilibrium. Like the rest of you, I am waiting for the promising vaccines to reach distribution, not only because I’d like to sit at a restaurant with my friends and break bread, but also to be able to travel freely like it was before the pandemic.

The economy would be saved, too, which means we’d get to keep our jobs.

As a general enthusiast of cars, one of the core tenets is sample as much as possible the mass variety of experiences. Cars come in many different shapes and layouts, and I’m lucky to have owned quite a handful of variations. One such experience that’s always hold a fascination for me is motoring on two wheels: the motorcycle. If you’re a fan of high-revving, naturally-aspirated engines - as I am - then bikes are the cheapest entrance ticket. And because of their diminutive size, two-wheelers get excellent fuel mileage while delivering the thrills.

The barriers to entry is rather low, too: used bikes can be had for mere thousands. Insurance is peanuts compared to sports cars, and as mentioned, motorcycles are great on gas. However, to ride legally, one must get a motorcycle-specific license. For me, that entails a few weekend classes at a local junior college, and then a riding test. Easy enough, but that means I have to wait until the pandemic is over/under controlled to feel comfortable being in a classroom full of hopeful new riders.

Oddly though, COVID-19 have created the urgency for me to actually get off my ass to get the license and a motorcycle. There’s no better reminder to stop procrastinating and do the things you want to do, as soon as feasible, than a world-wide pandemic.

It’s time to tick that box on the list.