A new year

So it's a new year... most everyone makes New Years Resolutions that cover the gamete from cutting back on cigarettes to watching the caffeine intake to spending a little more time at the gym. Most of these resolutions start out with good intentions but most inevitably fail.

Why? I'm not sure. I think a lot of it has to do with guilty pleasures. I think everybody has at least one, whether its good or bad, but I think that's why so many new years resolutions are broken. There is a feeling of something missing.

Right now I am missing my time in the saddle. I made a resolution to my family to tone it down in the winter months because of the chance of slipping on ice or getting salt on the bike. For me riding my Harley is so much more than transportation. It's my sanity. It's my pride. It's what helps define who I am. I mean it's not "who" I am, but it's part of what makes up "Rocky."

There is the phrase out there "If you have to ask, you don't understand." It's true. Only motorcyclists can understand what I'm going through right now. My identity is caught between forecasts. Just when a nice rain comes through to wash the salt off the road, another front moves in.

Since I made the promise to take it easy over the next three months, I'm going to do something constructive. I'm going to do some research. I'm going to look at some weekend trips. I'm going to coordinate with my wife's calendar and put at least one weekend getaway on the bike a month during the summer months.

I'm also going to get more involved with our local Harley Owner's Group. The Mon Valley HOG chapter is filled with great people who love to ride whether its out to Sturgis, or down to the South Side for some ice cream.

I think if I can put a calendar together now, figure out my vacation days and work around events at the shop, I can really maximize my time on the bike for riding in 2011. It isn't exactly the same (and gratifying) as being "The Crazy Guy" cruising down Grant Street in 15 degrees with people pointing at me, but I think it will keep me occupied so that I can ease back into my 'guilty pleasure' come Spring.