So these last few months have been a little quiet here at the GirlClutch editorial offices. We’ve all been consumed with life’s challenges recently and as a result, have decided to revamp the newsletter and try a little something different. As chicks on bikes, we can’t re-invent ourselves with a new hair-do because hey, our heads just go into our helmets anyway. So what we lack in cosmetic rejuvenation, we make up for in moto-journalism (no pun intended). This issue marks the rebirth of the GirlClutch newsletter and we hope you’ll enjoy it. That being said, let me just say it’s time we had a talk. Lessons abound and new memories instated, we’ve changed. Paths have been paved. Romances have started and finished and frustrated. We all know how that goes, right? So how does all this pertain to riding and motorcycles?
Well, it seems as riders, our paths to maturity and resolution mimic our paths as people. How we deal with life’s obstacles without two weels directly affects how we deal with life’s curve balls on two wheels. We crash. We get a ticket. We sustain an incapacitating injury. We get our hearts broken.
So you cursed under your breath, said some choice words, sent a drunk text or two, or maybe just sat in your room alone and cried. I’ve got news for you. It’s okay. It’s okay to deal with these things in your own way. But it’s not okay to quit. What matters is what you learn and what you do afterward.
When it comes to motorcycles, riding is 80-percent mental. You feel what the bike is doing. If you do something wrong, it throws you off. But if you fall, it’s up to you to take a deep breath, dust yourself off and get back on. Believe it or not, while your insides are having that raging inner battle between “should I?” and “shouldn’t I?”, that bike you were riding is giving you the strength and perseverance to make the right decision.
Living life means taking risks and making mistakes. Afterall, we’re human. But just because you’re human doesn’t mean you have to be “a victim.” (Thanks Oki) You have to just say, “Hey, if I can get through this, I can get through anything.” Bounce back because you know you’re worth more and you know that any chick who throws a leg over a seat mounted on top of a high-revving, heat-billowing, handlebar-jarring machine on two wheels is a force to be reckoned with.
This next issue is about being a woman on a motorcycle in all your independent, kick ass glory. So here’s to you ladies, to each of you who face challenges both on the bike and off. To learn is to conquer and that is empowerment.
