Kelly’s Korner: The Incomparable Value of a Backup Plan
Last Updated: November 30th, 2020
Backup plans are good. Most responsible adults have them … a savings account, some insurance, a will, whatever else might fit one’s definition of a cushion. But what do you when you think you have a sound strategy for some particular situation and life decides to show you that, no, you don’t?
You improvise.
Which is annoying. And illuminating.
Thanks, Life, you big know-it-all.
Cases in point:
1) Five summers ago, T and I bought our second Mazda, intending to run it into the ground, as we had done with our first one. Over Labor Day weekend, however, Mazda No. 2’s clutch died. It never even bothered to notify us of its intent. At least we were in Venice Beach, partaking in the most fulfilling people watching ever. Still, we had to address the minor issue of safely returning to my uncle’s house in the Inland Empire and, from there, figuring out how to get back home to Arizona.
To trim an involved tale, we rented a car and drove home to Tempe. But then T was on his way to the East Coast early the next morning for work, unable to help me prepare for a week of commuting on a bike I’d neglected over the insanely hot summer, since we weren’t holding on to the rental.
The whole experience underscored how we got caught with our metaphorical riding pants down. We had no backup plan for car death because we didn’t think it would happen for at least another five years. So here we were jauntily proceeding with our single-vehicle life until, wham! The non-existent backup plan had to come to life somehow, and fast, and it did as we brainstormed over every feasible scenario and tried the ones that made sense until something came together. There was too much complexity and back-and-forth in those discussions to share here. I will say I was at first reluctant to get back on the bike (still hot weather, I like to arrive at work looking somewhat put together, I don’t love trying to carry workout gear on a bike – blah blah blah). But it felt great once I didn’t have a choice. I was reminded of why I choose to ride and how I want to make more opportunities outside of the obligatory commute to enjoy this lifestyle. Funny how that happens.
2) On one of the dirt riding days over the summer, our friend Mike crashed and ended up pretty badly hurt. Neither T nor I was on this ride but the incident makes me think about the importance of having a backup plan for outings such as this. Riding is an inherently risky sport. Mike’s young son was with him, too. What would have happened had they been the only two out that day, alone in the desert? Fortunately, Mike didn’t have to worry about that. He was with a group of people who knew what action to take and how to keep a serious situation from getting any worse.
Which brings me to my real point. As I consider the value of a backup plan, friends and motorcycles always seem to show up in there somewhere. For example, with T out of town, I called on our friend Bill to see if he could help me ensure Hinckley’s rideability. And of course he did. So here is my public thanks to Bill for coming over that evening to help me do a full inspection on the Triumph, complete with tightening the chain. In Mike’s case, making sure he rode in the desert with friends saved his bacon. (ed: Bill was there to help out on that one too!) Nine-year-olds are great, I hear, but they can’t tow a 400-CC bike with their 50ccs. They can make 911 calls, but only if there’s cell coverage.
The point is, there’s immeasurable value in surrounding ourselves with people who understand us and are willing to help us in a pinch. Especially when these are the kinds of people who join us in viewing mishaps as opportunities, challenges to overcome. It’s much more empowering to approach life as a victor. And I find that being a rider actually strengthens that view. Choosing to ride imbues such confidence and sense of adventure that any impulse to fall into self-pity or victimhood wilts away with each twist of the throttle. So while having a backup plan is smart, it’s not possible to envision every situation that will befall us. Riding it out, as it were, will help show the way.
Want to give a shout out to any of your buds who help you in a pinch? Let me know at kellyteal13@gmail.com.
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