My 50th birthday began with a backache, undoubtedly a preview of coming attractions in this decade. It was mild and didn’t get me down too much, however. The countless well wishes I received online felt like a constant stream of birthday cakes flying out of the screen and into my face throughout the day. Thanks!
It rained on and off all day, so I didn’t get a motorcycle ride in. I did get some motorcycle writing done, however, which pays better than riding. Much of the day was preparation for the evening’s activities with my LA crew. Carolyn sent me in her car to go pick up Ghazaleh, who is currently without street-legal wheels after her motorcycle was stolen. I’m not sure if she was happier to see me or Lister.
It was up to me to decide what kind of birthday dinner I wanted. I hadn’t had good Chinese food in a while. It’s not easy to find in the Quartzsite area, but there’s a large Chinese population in the area where Carolyn lives, so I decided on that. Being LA, the choices are vast, and I had no idea where in particular we should go. Carolyn made an executive decision to take us to Taste of MP, which is where she goes with her Chinese friends. The three of us drove over (still raining, no motorcycles), and Reuben met us there.
Each of us chose a dish, and then we shared everything with everyone. The flavors were quite different from “traditional” (Americanized) Chinese food, probably because everything isn’t loaded with MSG, but I didn’t taste a single thing I didn’t enjoy.
We returned to Carolyn’s place for birthday cake, a sort of Guinness chocolate cake she found a recipe for that sounded appealing. It didn’t taste like beer at all, but better. It was so yummy, and the four of us only ate a quarter of it, so I have my work cut out for me during the rest of my visit to help finish it. It was getting late, so we didn’t get around to the fire and smores that Carolyn had in mind for afterward. I think we were all too stuffed from dinner and cake anyway.
As I was getting ready for bed, Yellow Wolf texted me birthday and winter solstice greetings. She encouraged me to perform a simple ritual to release that which I no longer need to make space for better things in the coming year. I thought about it and realized that I’ve already been doing this for pretty much the entire past year. The Big Loop was an epic adventure all over the US, but the primary goal that inspired it was to deal with the stuff in my storage unit in New Hampshire and get rid of what I no longer needed. The journey itself was good for me as well and helped me release some lingering emotional baggage in many areas. I tried to think of anything more I should be releasing, and realized that I’d already done it.
This morning, I took Lister out to the backyard to play for a while. It’s our routine. He plays, and I drink coffee and get some work done. I don’t have a lot of work going on right now, so I just enjoyed my coffee. I also enjoyed watching a spider rebuild a web, apparently destroyed in the rain over the past couple of days. It was mesmerizing to watch her fill the empty space with her intricate design, eat a snack she’d stored in the center when she was done, and then relax. I can relate this to certain parallels to my own life right about now. Not just eating a snack.
I was never sure I’d make it to 50. It’s not old, but it’s also not guaranteed that you’ll stick around this long. Some friends of mine didn’t. I’m not as limber as I used to be, but I’m still limber enough to keep traveling and enjoy this life a good while longer, and I intend to. I don’t yet have a plan for this coming summer’s travel. Previous years have been guided by my need to deal with my storage unit back east, but that is no longer the case. My work for my largest client just got cut in half, so I have a bit more time on my hands right now. All this means there’s a lot of empty space in my life right now. For the moment, I’m enjoying it, taking some time to relax after the whirlwind of travel and experiences I’ve had since hitting the road. Soon I’ll start filling that empty space with what comes next — travel plans, work, and whatever else. I’ve learned how to strike a good balance between following a plan, and keeping that plan flexible enough to incorporate unforeseen opportunities as they come my way. The timing of this California visit is a perfect example. I’d intended to visit my LA crew at some point this winter, but the timing was determined by the Kawasaki KLX300 press launch, so here I am. Even now, I’m not sure exactly what day I’ll be driving back to Arizona, only that it’ll be sometime in the next week or so since I have plans with desert friends after New Year’s.
I’m not really sure where I’m going with this train of thought. Come to think of it, I’m not really sure where I’m going with life at this point. But I’m still here at 50, and going somewhere, wherever that is.
Smokey Da Van 