As I begin this piece, it is 11:44pm. To keep my daily writing streak intact, even if in the most technical of senses, I must hit publish before midnight. Let’s see how that works out for me. This will be not just frenetic, but frantic scribbling!

Today was quite uneventful. Right up until the journey home. I had time to write earlier, but inspiration wasn’t flowing. Now…it is.

I almost crashed my motorcycle. Leaning hard over into a corner, I saw myself going too wide. Rather than gently apply the rear brake, I reflexively closed the throttle. The rear wheel skidded out, heralded by a grinding crunch of metal meeting asphalt. My heart stopped. In the same instant I wobbled upright again and rolled back on the throttle to regain stability. The same instincts that almost caused a crash saved me from it. A beat skipped, but my heart restarted.

It’s a wonder I didn’t high-side from it in all honesty. High-siding, for those unfamiliar, is where the back wheel loses traction then suddenly regains it. In the wrong circumstances, this can catapult you over the bike like an ejection seat. This is as opposed to low-siding, where you ‘only’ lose traction and wipe out. (Been there, got the dents and bruises)

Apart from the evergreen point that motorcycling is insanely dangerous and yet somehow magnetic in its attraction, this is a timely reminder of mortality.

Do.

Do now, because tomorrow is not guaranteed.

Live.

Live now, there is no ‘later’.

(And you can forget about the afterlife, though that is a point for another day)

Until tomorrow, ride safe if you do (you should, regardless). And remember to live.

Thought for the day: Eckhart Tolle — It is not too uncommon for people to spend their whole life waiting to start living