"Love doesn't make the world go 'round;
love is what makes the ride worth while."
-- Shannon L. Alder
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| Sad Lego clown and toy motorcycle 11-6-14 |
This good thing is definitely a mixed bag.
I've been putting off prepping my motorcycle, Suzi-Two, for winter because I'm lazy, but also because it makes me feel sad.
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| Sad Lego clown and toy motorcycle 11-6-14 |
But yesterday was sunny and warm-ish here, so I took advantage of the good weather to do two things:
1. I gently and lovingly sponge-bathed Suzi outside in the driveway to get her ready for hibernation.
That was the sad part.
She looked stunning though, with her chrome all polished and sparkling in the late-autumn sunshine.
2. I leathered up one last time, pulled on my helmet and took Suzi out for one last ride.
That was the good part.
The landscape was also stunning, with its rolling vistas of red and gold and green. The fresh fall air was like a tonic for my soul. I froze my ass off, but I didn't care.
After my ride, my husband measured out the fuel stabilizer and poured it in Suzi's gas tank. It keeps her arteries from getting clogged in the cold.
Then he took out her heart -- er, her battery -- and hooked it up to the trickle charger in the basement. It's like a little life-support system that keeps her ticker ticking so it will be strong and vigorous in the spring.
Now, whenever I go to the basement, I see Suzi's disembodied heart on a shelf and I feel a tiny sad twinge in my own chest. I know it's for her own good, but still.
Today I will swaddle Suzi in her blue sleeping bag and finish tucking her in for her long winter's nap.
And until spring springs, every time I walk past Suzi in the garage I'll pat her on the saddle and wonder if she's missing me as much as I'll be missing her.
Maybe it hurts less if your heart is on a shelf.
Sigh.
