The Pencils Arrived!

The pencils came in - and early! The company even upgraded us! A great shout out to Omega HTC. They gave us better pencils! Whoo Hooo! We have contacted a small Indian reservation in NV to find out if they can use our supplies. Still waiting for other ideas from those that are following us! And for those of you who are... the school year is about to end. Rather than throw away or pack up that gently used backpack, consider giving it to Gray Lady Riders. The same goes for extra school supplies. Just post your response, or send an email to us. We can send someone to get it, or have it shipped. Anything that you don't use - another child will treasure. Until Saturday - Shiny Side Up!

Appalachian children and others

I'm beginning to think that Jose and I should make a stop somewhere in the Appalachian mountains and visit a school there. School will still be in session and we will be able to hopefully find not only a child, but a community that will be willing to "break the pencil in half". I'm also thinking that there may be others in our route that we can identify. While we cannot bring the backpacks with us, we certainly can have them shipped or bring them up by cage later.

No one has commented on additional options. I would be very happy to see some suggestions.

Why School Supplies? Why "break the pencil in half"

I started looking over my blog and realized, that I never truly explained why I use the phrase "for the child that breaks the pencil in half." When we were planning to go to Jamaica, I researched the country and found out that the children had relatively little in terms of school supplies. Once we picked the hotel, I arranged with one of the members of management to provide enough school supplies for one class. I was told that there would be 20 children in the class. So I proceeded to collect enough backpacks, pencils, school supplies, even supplies for teachers. Enough for 20 children. Once we were there I was told that while there were 20 children in a class, this was a one room school house and that there were a total of 50 children. All between the ages of 3 and 5. I cried when I realized that I did not have nearly enough supplies to go around. One of the local men saw me crying and said,
"Please, don't cry. We are grateful for whatever we receive. When I was growing up, if a child next to me did not have a pencil, I would cut the pencil in half and then we each would have one. That is the way of Jamaicans."
Imagine how happy I was to find out that we had enough pencils to give each child one of their own.

I started thinking about this. How many children would do this? How many communities are genuinely grateful for such supplies. Where do I find the children or child that will "break the pencil in half." ?

The Adventure is closer...

Well, we have finally picked a date to start the adventure. April 26th around noon. I'm thinking of heading East, but am not positive now. The trip is going to be about 3 days shorter than we originally thought, but it still is close to a month.

I want to be able to bring some school supplies with me, if we can identify those groups or children that will "break the pencil in half." Still looking for that very elusive trait. Also, if anyone has any ideas on possible beneficiaries, let us know! This is a group effort and anyone can be involved!

Also, start thinking about good places to ride. Not traditional motorcycle rides,but the ones that the idea takes your breath away. For me - I'm thinking the Amish country in PA and the Badlands. Other than that, the country is my guide!

I miss by bike or Baby, It's cold out there.

Someone just recently asked me if I had ridden much in 2008. I looked back and was surprised to realise that I had not ridden even half as I had in previous years. At first blush, I blamed it on the gas prices, but in retrospect, I just did not have my head in the game. I have learned that if your head is not in the right place - stay off the bike.

So this week I got Baby serviced. She had been abused by lesser mechanics and the one that knows her (and me), and even call her by name (Baby) is in another state, but reachable. By taking the back roads, it is an incredible ride up there, through creek laden vistas, curvy roads and beautiful peaks and valleys. So it seems like a good deal. The day I dropped Baby off, it was 70, the day before I picked her up, it was 80.

Last night, I rode home at the wonderful temperature of 35. This was fun, because it had rained a slight bit and I try to avoid riding if the temperature is below 36 degrees (that is the point at which bridges freeze). Plus, it was starting to get dark, which meant that Bambi as well as all sorts of other nocturnal animals, will start their way out of their homes and into the path of my bike. Not a good idea of taking unlit, very curvey backroads at dusk. Nope... high speed, four lanes, lots of traffic, but lots of lights, was the only answer.

I had my heated gear on, but for some reason, the wind just blew through me anyway. I thought that the short ride from Tennessee back to the house (about an hour) was one of the longest, grueling rides I have made in a long, long time. Now, it is going to be spring break, and I will once again be off the bike for a while as we vacation with the kids.

I lament over the hours lost off of Baby and the freedom and release that it gives me. I began to wonder, am I the only one that looks at last year and sees that the economy, the gas, just life, put us in a funk that just took our head out of the game? For those that ride, did last year affect your riding? If you had to do it again, would you have ridden more? Ridden less?

One Nickel on Valentine's Day

Today is Valentine's Day. While we share our profession of love with those in our lives, we also continue with our normal lives. As such, I found myself out in the garage looking at the sad state of my pipes.

I ended up burning some of my gear onto my pipes the other day. For those that know me, understand that my gear is designed to keep me safe - very safe. As a result, it is pretty hefty. I am not sure how, but I imagine that I threw the pants over the seat and in my haste, left them on the pipe. It was not until several days later, that I realized my mistake. There on my pretty chrome pipes, were several big blobs of black melted - no not melted, WELDED onto my pipes. Nothing was getting it off. I used all the tricks in my bag, WD-40 on hot pipes, fine (very, very, very fine) steel wool - nothing. Not even the slightest change. Then I found out about the secret of the nickel.

I doubted the validity of this, but figured what the heck - they are ruined anyway right? So on my cold pipes (yes, cold), I started to work, peeling off the globs of black junk. To my amazement, it started peeling off, and left the pipes in tact!
So for those that "ride for the freedom - and dress for the road", here is a secret. Remember the power of a nickel. It can save you a great deal of money, time and effort.

Kind of like life - the simplest things in life, gives us the most joy.
Happy Valentine's Day !

Another buff gone

I have my last buff away this week. It was to a woman who was just going through chemo and could not stand having a hot on her head due to the hot flashes. When I gave it to her, I told her to remember this: "This was given to you by a member of Gray Lady Riders, a crazy woman who rides motorcycles, but remember, that life itself, is like a motorcycle ride - it is all about the journey and nothing about the destination." Then I hugged her and left. I don't know if she will ever wear the buff, but the important part is that I cared.

I just got my next shipment of them in. This time I have 5 more to give away. That means that I will meet five more women that have lost their hair to chemo. I rarely know what type of cancer they have, if it is curable or terminal, just that they are going through a tough time. I don't give one to every woman I see, just those that have a tiny little handkerchief, or nasty, ugly scarf (one that looks like it would hurt to wear on a sensitive head.) Then I give it to them, and tell them the same thing I did to this woman. That life will go on.

Do clothes define your age?

I like my blue jeans. I like to wear them a bit tighter. I like them with designs, snug around my hips (and yes they are bigger than when I was20). The other day, I was told by a good friend - "You are 50! You should dress like it!"

I started googling "50 year old" woman and clothes. With the glaring exception of Madonna, there were very few definitions of what clothes define a woman of "my age."

I don't mind getting older, I just want to do so in my own terms. I don't want to wear what a 20 year old does, but then again, I don't want to wear elastic waist bands (not that this is wrong - just for me). I love the fact that mouths still drop open when I pull my helmet off when I get off the bike! I don't want to act immature, but I also don't want to be old!

For all of you, not just women, but everyone interested in Gray Lady Riders; What defines your age?

My next big adventure

I just got the okay from my better half that I get to do one more thing on my "bucket list" Sometime this spring, I plan on a month long ride with a good friend. Right now, we have four defined stops. East until the ocean, North until Canada, West until the Ocean, South until Mexico and East again home. Other than that - the trip is wide open.

Few if any highways (blue roads preferred). We are now planning at least a reasonable route. Since we are talking a month and thousands of miles, things that have to be taken into account - servicing! We will have to have our bikes serviced a couple of times while we are out. That will be interesting since she rides a Harley (don't go there...) and I ride a roadstar (ditto).

Any feedback or ideas on what to do for this? Any of those of you have lessons learned?

What does this season mean to you?

We are about to end a tough, but historic year. We saw a woman running for president and vice president. We have seen our first African American president. This has been a year of ups and down. We are hearing everyone tell us the sky is falling and there is nothing we can do but hide.

I don't want to believe that. Those that know me, know that my favorite movie is "The Wizard of Oz." The first reason is because my husband asked me to marry him during the movie. But there is another reason. It is because, above all, this movie is about hope. Hope that when it is all said and done, you can still be safe, you can still get home.

But then I think, what about those that do not have a home? What about those that are losing their home, their job, or a loved one?

I remember a time, when I was going through a very rough time in my life. During that time, there was a song, "Don't Worry - Be Happy". I truly did believe that if I heard that song, or someone tell me that one more time I was going to jump off a bridge!

Some people think that hope is the same is not having worry. I wholeheartidly disagree! I think that hope is the thing that gets us up out of bed in the morning on the days when we really could just lay there.

We can always have hope. When you reach out to someone who has lost their home, their money or anything else. Tell them that you have hope for them. You will carry that beacon for them that they may not be able to see. Then, when the time comes and they are ready to carry that light again, give it back, brighter and stronger than before.

We may not always be able to give money, time, or even love. But the one thing we can offer everyone, our friends, our foes, even our enemies, is hope.

What type of footprint do you leave?

With Gray Lady Riders, we want to leave our own footprints in the world, but what we leave as individuals? Not just in the world, but in the lives of others? Is our footprint like the subtle surf where little is disturbed, but nothing is changed? Is it like a steady wave, leaving the occasional treasure, helping to clean up, but also taking things away? Or are we like a hurricane where when we blow in we leave a path of destruction that while memorable, is scarring and hurtful.

Unfortunately, I think I do it all. I would like to think that I just leave the positive things, but I know that I do not. The only thing that I can hope, is that when I blow in like a hurricane - it is rare; However, unlike a hurricane, I hope that my words and actions will not scar the landscape of my relationships so that nothing can repair them.

Gray Lady Riders gives us the opportunity to make a difference. However, every day we must choose what we are going to be: a wake, a wave or a storm.

How do you define appreciation?

One of my (our) biggest dilemma is trying to identify children that not only want our supplies, but those that genuinely need and appreciate it.

When I was in Jamaica, I was told that children there do not hoard. If a child has a pencil and his classmate does not - he (or she) will cut it in half so that both children will have a pencil.

How to you make that leap from a third world country to that of a school in an inner-city or in an area of abject poverty? We in the US are fortunate enough to not know of children that go to school without shoes, clothes or the basic needs (or at least I do not). How do we choose the truly needy vs the wanting?

How do we find the same kind of need in the US? I would love some ideas.

Our changing lives

I am in the process of trying to determine if this is a good idea or not. As such, I poll just about anyone I can that is close to my age or older. When asking about the idea and goals of GLR, I met a woman who said, "I'm not interested." When I asked why, she simply said "I am in the process of redefining myself, helping my mother thought chemo, cancer and life. I just lost my father and now this. Just when we think our job is easing up because our children are grown, I find myself taking care of my parents."

I thought about this. We are known as so many different things. The Baby Boomers, The Sandwich Generation.. what else? It seems unfair that we have to deal with both ends of the candle and are expected to do it. Is there a way for GLR to somehow incorporate the Sandwiches along with the children?

What makes a cause, or charity good? How do you know if what you are choosing will impact the right people? How do you define "good"?

Gray Lady Riders - The Beginning

Wow, we are actually doing it - we are actually going to make a difference in the world. It's funny, when you decide that you finally want to change the world, you have a vision of grandiose actions. The truth is, it starts here. Well, technically, it started in May, when I walked into building in Jamaica with 50 children between the ages of 3 to 6 with not nearly enough backpacks or paper, but just enough pencils to give each child their own. There was not any electricity, no running water, none of the amenities that our kids have when they go to school. But they had such pride! It was there I learned how easy it was to leave a footprint in the world. That day Gray Lady Riders was born.

Why Gray Lady Riders? Why now? The first is easy - I turn 50 this year. My hair may not be gray yet, but my life is now at the stage where I should be. Plus, I ride a motorcycle. So it was easy to make the name. Why now? Well, that one is a bit harder. I feel restlessness in my life, and when speaking with other women close to my age, I realized that I was not alone. I now know that when I look into the future, that there is a end. Rather than focus on that final destination, I have decided to focus on the journey of life. I want to ride to the end, full of life and leave a trail of smiles, hope and dreams as much and often as I can.

So there you have it. Gray Lady Riders. We are looking for women who want to ride the journey of life and make it better for others in the world at the same time. Perhaps you ride a motorcycle, perhaps not, but however you choose to move your body through life, we want to be able change that journey in your soul . Help us to help others and in doing so, you too may find an answer to the restlessness that moves us all.