The sky after dusk can be stunningly beautiful. Reds and yellows spread across the horizon, while deep blues spread up into the dome of the sky. Stars appear in the expanse above and the moon, when visible, glows brightly in varying hues.
Alone on back roads, surrounded by darkness and a puttering exhaust note, the solitude is intoxicating. For some, being alone isn't appealing, but for those of us who find solitary pursuits refreshing, riding alone in the dark can truly be cathartic.
The solitude of the lonely rider can give one time for introspection, prayer, even creative thought. It also provides an opportunity for meditation, not meditation in the far eastern sense, but rather meditation in the biblical sense; deep pensive thought on matters of faith and scripture. As the psalmist wrote: "O how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day." Instead of seeking some sort of otherworldly connection, this kind of meditation is a mulling over of the Word of God.
For a person of faith, the rejuvenation of the spirit offered by being alone with God is priceless. Lancaster County offers an abundance of back roads through farmland, wooded areas, and even along rivers and lakes. This gives plenty of territory to cover for the wandering soul on a motorbike.
Sometimes, it's very good to be alone.
Posts
2 comments:
Thirty years ago I was just off the divorce of my first marriage when a friend suggested a Motorcycle Tour. Long Island to Minnesota and then up around the Great Lakes. Long days in the saddle gave me hours to put life in perspective. Thirty-six hundred miles later I was ready to move on and get back to living. It was one of the defining moments in my life.
There's nothing like a good ride to put your head in order.
I'm just such a chicken. I ride at night about as often as I travel on gravel, and even then it's usually just around the city to get from where I was when it got dark back to my own house.
I do often pray when I'm out gliding through beautiful country vistas, often thanking God for creating such beauty in the sights and smells, the warmth of the sun, the refreshing coolness of a breeze. I'm pretty sure, though, that if I were to ride those same backroads and byways by night my prayers would be of supplication that I might get back home in one piece and without having my engine conk out or a tire go flat.
Psalm 121:8 - "The LORD shall preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth, and even forevermore."
Post a Comment