A Late-life Crisis?
Am I having a late-life crisis? I'm 81, and I just bought my fifth motorcycle. I'm now trying to get over my attack of buyer's remorse and pondering why I bought another motorcycle.
The Law of Attraction states that we get what we think about, whether we want it or not. For some inexplicable reason, I started thinking about a new Triumph Bonneville a couple of weeks ago. I couldn't ignore it, and I felt like Luke Skywalker hearing Obi Wan Kenobi's voice saying "Use the force, Luke." I heard a voice saying, "Buy a Bonneville, Pat."
Last week, I suggested to Debbie that we stop by the Triumph dealership to look around. I hadn't mentioned my "calling" to her yet. She initially protested because it was almost closing time, but I convinced her to take a quick look. We walked through the door of the dealership and were greeted by Rick, a friendly Triumph salesman.
When I saw "my" motorcycle sitting there waiting for me, I felt like Luke seeing the portal in the death star. The lyrics to the song "Some Enchanted Evening" from the musical South Pacific were ringing in my ears as I made my way through the crowded showroom.
Some enchanted evening
You may see a stranger
You may see a stranger across a crowded room
And somehow you know
You know even then
That somewhere you'll see her Again and again.
I know it's weird, an 81-year-old man falling in love with a motorcycle. But, there’s a lot to be learned here. That’s how I rationalize everything. It’s all about learning.
I’m not one of those rich guys who can buy expensive toys indiscriminately. The fact is, I couldn’t afford that motorcycle, but I really wanted it. So, I started to work on solving that minor problem. The solution was obvious - sell a couple of the other motorcycles. But, I didn’t want to do that because I have an emotional attachment to both of those bikes. Yes, you can be emotionally attached to a machine.
Here’s where the learning comes into the story. Sometimes we have to let go of our emotional attachments to move forward in our lives. Buddha taught that attachment, also known as "clinging," is one of the main causes of suffering in life.
Now, the beautiful 2023 Triumph Bonneville is sitting in the garage next to my restored 1968 Triumph Bonneville. I see 55 years of evolution as I look at these two motorcycles, and I see a metaphor for my life, and maybe yours.
You’ll notice that these motorcycles look similar on the outside, but the real difference is inside. The 2023 has updated technology. The engineers at Triumph have been continuously learning. They’ve been learning from their mistakes, failures, and from listening to the suggestions of others.
I was 27 years old in 1968. I was pretty good at that age, but if I hadn’t continued to evolve as I aged, I would be irrelevant today. I see too many people who haven’t evolved through the years. They haven’t upgraded their human technology by learning and developing new skills. I’m glad I’m not the same person today that I was in 1968.
How have you evolved since 1968? Are you hearing the call from Obi Wan, God, or whatever you want to call it telling you to “use the force,” but refusing the call because it’s “not possible?”
Is your human technology due for an update? It’s never too late to update our software.