There is a tendency in my family that has led to a lot of heartache and unnecessary tension, a tendency that I learned, or some may say, inherited, and it is the tendency to over-think. Over-thinking is a habit that may cause one to be unable to enjoy what they are doing in a certain moment; they can’t enjoy their time with friends over dinner, their time while sitting on the couch reading their favorite book, or their time simply sitting there, doing nothing – all of these moments can be taken for granted when there is too much stuff going on in the mind unconsciously.

This is why there are certain things that help each and every one of us to be rid of thought and allow us to be able to enjoy something to the fullest and feel it without thinking about it, and while we’re in the middle of this certain activity that we find amazing, we are at peace. Usually, after the moment is done, we are back to thinking, and no longer feel peace.

Every time I ask my friends that own bikes how their bike rides went, they will tell me with a quiet reverence how amazing they felt. They love riding motorcycles. They will often talk to me about how amazing it felt to feel the wind as they would drive through the canyon and smell nature through their helmet, or how amazing it felt to feel in such great control of a machine that made them feel like they were flying. As I think about what my biking friends have been telling me about their experiences riding, I realize that what is going on is that they would experience that deep peace as they rode, they were free from thought for a moment; so, they were able to feel and experience life.

All of us gravitate to those things that invite this deep inner peace into our lives, things that make us feel alive. Riding motorcycles is one channel for that. They make us feel alive because when we are free from unconscious thinking, we are finally who we really are; us. This is what it means by the saying, “Wake up, and smell the roses.”