The past is gone, the future, never here and the present is a friend - it is always here.
I feel like I live in a place of insanity right now.
I see people do and say the most vicious of things to each other and I just shake my head.
I am reading a book by Eckhart Tolle - A New Earth. It was on Oprah Book of the Month and she had a world wide webinar that I tried to attend but the Internet was so jammed up I never did. Well, I finally bought the book and have just started to re-read it. I want to absorb as much of the man's message as I can, because it feels right to me.
I work every day to be the best possible person I am capable of being.
Some days I succeed, others I don't.
From every experience that on the surface appears to be rotten, I try to find the lesson and to grow from it. The events of this past weekend, well, let's just say it was not how I would have chosen to spend my one true weekend off. They did however help me reaffirm and realign my way of thinking. I learned a lot, about perceptions if nothing else.
I see it too often, we forget why we joined the club or group - we forget the charity we chose to work for - we forget our families and friends and there comes a point where we are so self involved that we can no longer see the big picture.
We are all guilty of it at some point and time in our life - it is simply the human condition.
Our lives are busy, we feel stress, we feel anxiety and pressure and the next thing you know the cause that was so close to your heart becomes the victim of that stress.
You burn out, you loose yourself, you snap, you quit....
The problem is many faceted - the desire to do something good within your community can be thwarted when governments and their paperwork and the law and its requirements make the fun seem like a job. Charities have images and reputations to uphold. Before you know it, things become complicated.
We join groups to ride and relax and for many of us to give something back, but what we get is very little riding, more paperwork than work gives us and people who want to struggle for "power".
There is a whole realm of discussion to be had here, I know it.
Riding clubs can be phenomenal to be a part of. The group dynamics can be just cooking - everyone takes a small job on and shares the work load of the common cause. Everyone feels valued, they have friendships and camaraderie that is incredible. And then it happens, that one person joins and because of their way of doing things they upset the whole apple cart. Their intentions are great, they are not malicious as a general rule, it appears it's just the way they do things - they don't function well with in a team.
I remember reading an article a long time ago, where in the writer compared the rider/biker culture to the native Indian/First Nations cultures and their diminishment. I wished that I could think of his name right now - I have actually quoted him before (James something)....he explains from his point of view how we, like the Indian/First Nations people will become overwhelmed because of our inability to work together...as the old saying goes, "Too many Chiefs and not enough Indians"...
Anyway - my question to you all is this...
How do you keep your riding club or group strong and united?
If you are fortunate enough to be riding today please take a walk around that iron steed of yours, stay hydrated, ride like everyone around you is blind and can't see you and use respect with that throttle hand.
Oh and have a fabulous day.
Belt Drive Betty
I feel like I live in a place of insanity right now.
I see people do and say the most vicious of things to each other and I just shake my head.
I am reading a book by Eckhart Tolle - A New Earth. It was on Oprah Book of the Month and she had a world wide webinar that I tried to attend but the Internet was so jammed up I never did. Well, I finally bought the book and have just started to re-read it. I want to absorb as much of the man's message as I can, because it feels right to me.
I work every day to be the best possible person I am capable of being.
Some days I succeed, others I don't.
From every experience that on the surface appears to be rotten, I try to find the lesson and to grow from it. The events of this past weekend, well, let's just say it was not how I would have chosen to spend my one true weekend off. They did however help me reaffirm and realign my way of thinking. I learned a lot, about perceptions if nothing else.
I see it too often, we forget why we joined the club or group - we forget the charity we chose to work for - we forget our families and friends and there comes a point where we are so self involved that we can no longer see the big picture.
We are all guilty of it at some point and time in our life - it is simply the human condition.
Our lives are busy, we feel stress, we feel anxiety and pressure and the next thing you know the cause that was so close to your heart becomes the victim of that stress.
You burn out, you loose yourself, you snap, you quit....
The problem is many faceted - the desire to do something good within your community can be thwarted when governments and their paperwork and the law and its requirements make the fun seem like a job. Charities have images and reputations to uphold. Before you know it, things become complicated.
We join groups to ride and relax and for many of us to give something back, but what we get is very little riding, more paperwork than work gives us and people who want to struggle for "power".
There is a whole realm of discussion to be had here, I know it.
Riding clubs can be phenomenal to be a part of. The group dynamics can be just cooking - everyone takes a small job on and shares the work load of the common cause. Everyone feels valued, they have friendships and camaraderie that is incredible. And then it happens, that one person joins and because of their way of doing things they upset the whole apple cart. Their intentions are great, they are not malicious as a general rule, it appears it's just the way they do things - they don't function well with in a team.
I remember reading an article a long time ago, where in the writer compared the rider/biker culture to the native Indian/First Nations cultures and their diminishment. I wished that I could think of his name right now - I have actually quoted him before (James something)....he explains from his point of view how we, like the Indian/First Nations people will become overwhelmed because of our inability to work together...as the old saying goes, "Too many Chiefs and not enough Indians"...
Anyway - my question to you all is this...
How do you keep your riding club or group strong and united?
If you are fortunate enough to be riding today please take a walk around that iron steed of yours, stay hydrated, ride like everyone around you is blind and can't see you and use respect with that throttle hand.
Oh and have a fabulous day.
Belt Drive Betty
Great Blog Post Betty,especially all you said about " Clubs " Right in the target Bulls Eye "
ReplyDeleteSean The Nut In Saint John, NB