meaningful motorcycle

This is the bike that started it all....

Jill bought me this motorcycle for my 21st birthday. I had seen the Harley Sprint sitting outside rusting away in a yard and had mentioned to her that I thought it was cool. We had been dating for three years and she knew me well enough to know that this would make a great birthday present. She talked Poppie (her grandfather) and his best friend Byron into going and picking it up. She paid $100 for it and they probably thought she was nuts, but she knew I would love it. It was a rusty mess, but it was mostly complete.

I was able to get it to run, with the help of my Dad, within a few days of getting it. This bike really rekindled my Father's interest in bikes and especially in restoring them. While working on this bike, I had so many great conversations with Jill's Poppie, my Dad, Jill's Uncle Kenny, the previous owner, etc. I worked on this motorcycle over the course of the next few years painting and repainting it several times. An onslaught of old bikes ensued from this one little act of kindness. Did I mention the hours of enjoyment and frustration of wrenching on this?

Working on "stuff" and figuring out "how stuff works" has defined me and given me purpose. By way of all of this I have met some amazing people and made relationships with people who I have been proud to call my friend. The relationships we build with others and what we give to others of ourselves is the most beneficial thing we can do in the short time that we are on this earth. Passing on knowledge and serving as a good example of what it means to be human are at the core of this giving. I look forward to sharing the joys of the Sprint with Noah when he gets old enough to restore it for the up-tenth time.

Although Jill doesn't fully understand my obsessions and fascinations, our respect and admiration for one another still grows. She is the greatest contributer to my happiness. In addition, she is probably the most thoughtful and giving person I know.

Thanks for the best gift ever, Jill! Who would have thought that little motorcycle would have sparked so many wonderful relationships.