Neuroscience, Motor Scooters And Things That Go Bump In The Day
It has been far too long since my last post. This post represents my re-dedication to this blog and will be about what has provided much pleasure and insight over the past four months. Since I purchased it on March 16th, I have ridden over 3,000 miles on my Aprilia Scarabeo 50 motor scooter. Today, November the second, it is six degrees Celsius outside and I have to meet a friend for lunch. Almost certainly, I will be riding to the restaurant on my scooter. Why? There are many reasons. I like riding it. I like the feeling of connection, of being part of the surrounding landscape as opposed to just an observer. I like the fact that I can park for free and in fact, as per current Toronto municipal bylaws, will be able to park it on the edge of the sidewalk right in front of the restaurant. It will be cold, particularly on my hands although I will be wearing a pair of North Face gloves intended for expeditions to places such as Mount Everest. I will be wearing blue jeans but my legs will be cold. I will be wearing a full-face helmet which quite frankly I should wear more often but it is awkward to get into and will not fit in my top box so I will have to take it with me into the restaurant. But I will be content. The ride is only five minutes. It is sunny and crisp and the sky is that sort of late-fall blue, silhouetting some brightly colored leaves that still remain on the trees. I will probably burn about 10 cents worth of gas getting there and I will arrive cold but happy.
Why is all this important? Primarily, it is the reason I started this blog in the first place and that is to begin a journey to understand how my brain works.
A short time ago, a friend of mine who rides a bike, told me that she enjoys riding but only when she has a destination. The only exception was on Sunday when she seemed to be able to just ride around aimlessly and enjoy the surroundings. This interested me because when she articulated this, I realized that I felt the same way about my scooter. Rides with no destination during the week were not as enjoyable as rides where I was going somewhere specific. On Sunday, or on statutory holidays, I could ride without any more destination in mind than to head north out of the city. I had thought the no destination thing was just me until my friend shared her thoughts and now I wonder if this is more general. I also wonder what it is about my brain and my friend’s, that the a destination makes a big difference in terms of the enjoyment of a ride.
What do you think?
Are you a bike rider, either powered or not, and can you just go for a ride without worrying about where you are going? I would love to get feedback from you in the comments section if you have a moment.