The article “Be Here Now” by Bud Miller was originally published on the “RoadRUNNER Motorcycle Touring & Travel” magazine website on 08/28/2012.
I work from home a few days a week. When I do I usually have either Pandora or Spotify playing in the background. Cori is as eclectic musically as I am (maybe even more so) and she has some spectacular mixes setup that I like to listen to. Anyway, one day I heard a song by Dave Matthews that I’d not heard before called Cry Freedom and the last line struck me so much that I wrote it down as I worked.
“The future is no place to place your better days” is how the song goes. While the theme of the song is worldly and complex and has little to do with the comparably mundane concerns of a motorcyclist from Hellertown, Pa., I couldn’t help but draw a parallel to my own life and times (and isn’t that the best aspect of music and art in general?). I thought immediately that it spoke to that part of me that motorcycling, like few other things, seems to tap into.
Last week I wrote about failing knees and how the motorcycle extends your physical abilities when they begin to decline, so when I heard that line it struck a chord with me. One thing riding gives me that I love to write about but that I never can seem to wrap in the right words is the feeling of presence; of being here now; of today being the best day. You focus so intently on the now that you become fully immersed in it. Today is the day that matters, tomorrow will be there, yesterday is gone and the future really is merely a string of “todays” stacked one upon the other when you get right down to it.
I came across a drawing recently on Facebook of Piglet and Pooh walking along a path. They were drawn from behind which I thought was genius because it made me feel like I was overhearing a private and casual conversation. Beneath the drawing the caption read: “What day is it?” asked Pooh “it’s today” squeaked Piglet “My favorite day”, said Pooh.
I’d like someday to be able to say so much with so few words. Here’s hoping today is your favorite day. Ride safe.