Monday, February 3
For Jennifer whose accident has her in a quandary about riding again:
I’d like to suggest a method to help Jennifer and her husband begin getting back on bikes after that awful accident. I did this with myself and it works:
I had passed the MSF school with a score of 94 and had my CA license to boot. I was ready to go! I bought my first bike, a used 1990 Kawi EX500, on a Thursday but had to wait until Saturday to take my first ride. Saturday morning my heart was pounding with anticipation and I had to calm myself down so I could do the pre-flight checks. There she was, my beautiful bike! My "E ticket" ride into wind and time.
Slowly I rolled (just into the friction zone, remember those terms!) down the driveway. After checking both ways, I rolled the throttle a little bit. I bolted across the street and ran right into my neighbor's Ford Bronco! Fortunately, I had learned my swerving lessons in school well! I only broke my mirror, dented his fender and had several minor bruises.
But I scared myself something awful. Every time I closed my eyes, I could see that damn Bronco fill my vision. I had myself so scared, that I began to get panicky even thinking about riding my bike. I began to seek advice on how to get back to riding again. I asked every rider and "Mama" that I met. The advice was consistent: just get on it and practice, practice, practice. While that was good advice alright, it didn't get me where I wanted to be.
Then I remembered something we had done in MSF school! The Armchair 500! (I am guessing that we all learned this in class before we went out on the range for the first time.) I sat in a comfortable chair, took several deep, slow breaths, closed my eyes, and held out my arms to take hold of the imaginary handle bars and "rode". While riding in my "Armchair 500" I imagined myself riding successfully and confidently. I took myself on the graceful canyon roads here in Los Angeles, out to the straight hot desert and into the winding freshness of the mountains. After doing this a couple of times, the magic began to work! I could begin to practice my riding skills again in real life. I could go around the blocks near my home on Sunday mornings. Then I rode into Griffith Park where there is light traffic, sweet sweepers, stop signs and several lovely twisties.
I am still a little jittery, but I am back in the saddle and remembering why I chose to ride in the first place! – Kathleen (note from Mama: I agree -- imagining the positive outcome of something assists greatly in making it so -- much better than replaying negative thoughts over and over. Riding is mostly mental -- while we are enjoying the beautiful scenery and feeling the hum beneath us, we must constantly maintain a vigilance for the things in our surroundings that could cause problems. Being able to successfully marry the two opposing mental sides is a matter of time and practice and after an accident, it's no surprise that the vigilant side (looking for the bad) of the mental process is more dominant. Your idea retriggers the other side -- the beauty -- and this is a good suggestion as one way to help restore the desire to ride. Thank you for sharing.)
For Jennifer who survived an accident and not sure about riding again:
Hi, my name is JoAnn. My husband and I were on the way to Mike's Harley shop to see his brother that works there because that afternoon I won a trophy for my bike and I was going to show it to him. When I was coming to a stop in the left lane, and my husband was in the right lane next to me, a woman driver in an SUV hit me from behind. She had been drinking and talking on a cell phone. I was in the hospital for five days and still sometimes in a lot of plain. But three weeks after my accident I had my husband drive me down to the Yamaha shop and pick out a new bike. I could not ride it for a couple of months. But every day I would get myself out to the shed to wipe it down and just look at.
I am riding now -- still can not go very far with out being in some pain. But I did not let the women take my love for riding away. I have been riding bikes for about 30 years and this it the second accident I have had. They say when you fall off a horse, just get back on it. I do not write much, but I hope this will help. – JoAnn (note from Mama: plain and simple talk straight from the heart is the best medicine anyone can share. Thank you.)
Wednesday, February 12
Supporting Jennifer after terrible accident:
Hi Jenn... just read JoAnn's note to you. I know JoAnn and am pretty familiar with all she’s had to go through because of this accident. She sort of glossed over it, but it was a VERY serious and VERY scary one. She survived as well as she did partly because of her expertise and common sense. (Please don’t let on to her that I was praising her common sense!) But I know she’d NEVER, EVER be without a bike!! And she’s right … just get back on. Start slowly if it makes you relax a little more. Pretty soon, you’ll be back to “normal.” Although as far as JoAnn being “normal”, well, that’s another subject!! J – Barb (note from Mama: thanks for supporting Jennifer and telling us all about JoAnn!)