The lighthearted side of life

There are disadvantages to being in the minority. Sometimes it's hard to get respect, to even get noticed. People don't always take those in the minority as seriously as they do those in a majority.

But there are also advantages. In the minority, you don't have to fit a mold. You can be different, and if you're different enough, you will stand out and be noticed. I'm not talking ethnic or cultural minorities, nor do I intend to cheapen the difficulties that have been faced and overcome by people in those groups. No, I'm talking about motoring minorities.

Being a motorcyclist, by simple fact of numbers, puts one in a motoring minority here in the United States. Scootsters are an even smaller minority within this larger group. I think this may be part of the reason that those of us who ride scooters tend to be a little more on the quirky, even goofy side. I fall more in with the latter certainly; my headgear attests to that.

But here's the beauty of it: When you're quirky and goofy, you get noticed. For those of us who ride on two or three wheels, That's a good thing. Granted, I don't always have Maggie with me, but even with just Rowlf, I've seen people take a second and third glance, laugh, then nearly run into a utility pole. At least they aren't running into me.

On my way home from work, I will often take the highway home and very often will observe cell phones filming me as vehicles pass. I've long been a proponent of being visible while riding and this lends to it. Sometimes it's good to be just a little weird.