Back
in 2002, the friend who I sat behind for almost 2 years was going back
out on the open road. Spoiled and hooked on his ST1100, I realized the
imminent loss and decided that it was time to have my own bike, or find a
new motorcycle buddy. Enthusiast friends said the PC800 would be the
perfect place to start. That very day I started researching them and got
excited. I wasn't attracted to the red or white ones but the black
version reminded me of a dolphin's sleek energy. Could the one for me
actually be residing in Florida and looking for me?
That
night an advertisement for a black 1994 popped up in the online version
of the local newspaper. The ad wasn't going to be published until the
next day so I was the first to see it. There are no coincidences. The ad
was placed by the second owner, a retiree who lovingly garaged and
cared for her in Springhill, FL. He had bought it from an 80yo woman in
Michigan.
She had Corbin seats, graphic pin
striping, a decoratively etched windscreen border and 26k miles on her. I
drove almost a 100 miles to check her out, fell for her, put down a
deposit and…eek….had second thoughts within 24 hours. I was between
employment and would have to pay for her with rainy day money needed to
live on for the next couple of months. This wasn't sane…I already had
car payments.
Well the phone rang that next
afternoon offering me a last minute "artist in residence" teaching gig
for the summer at an inner city school. Synchronicity? The salary was
just enough to cover the cost of the bike, buy a full face helmet and
some appropriate gear. Divine intervention? You betcha! I needed a way
of introduction to be accepted by the children.
I
bought her and than a "vanity" license plate in hopes she'd spark
conversations that matter. I chose the double entendre "Intuit" to cover
my enthusiasm of being "in to it," and metaphysical acknowledgment of
our non-physical senses.
Turns out I was
dubbed the "white missionary" by the students and my bike gave me a
degree of "coolness" while I earned their respect. I promptly named her Baliza,
which means "beacon of light" in Portuguese and Spanish. In all these
years she still attracts positive attention, serves as a tangible
inspiration for others to align with their passion(s), and reminds me
that life is a leap and then you fly.
Michèle Young
Tampa, FL
Argue for your limitations and your reward is that you get to keep them. ~Richard Bach