It was not a large thought or even a grand thought. But it was a useful thought. I often find it difficult to convey the subtle nuance of what I am thinking. And so it is that I find myself when people ask me what I think of my Can-Am Spyder. Yes it is interesting. Yes it is fun, enjoyable and speaks to the part of me that likes motorcycles and other fast hardware. But how does it compare to an actual two wheeled bike? Is the experience comparable? More specifically, does it hold the same fascination for me as bikes do?
In short the answer is no. The difference is greater than the difference between types of motorcycles. It is much closer to an ATV or a snowmobile. Yet that answer leaves me dissatisfied that I have not fully expressed my true feelings on the subject. It does not explain why I like the Spyder so much. And that is when the little thought hit me. It is like when my friend Kelly got a new high tech wheelchair.
Whoa, stop, really? That seems a little extreme. OK so it may not help much in casual conversation but it did clarify things in my own mind. Kelly got this really cool wheelchair. Super light weight, collapsable all the things that make a wheelchair exceptional. She was very happy to get it. Yet she would have been happier to not need it. And so it is with the Spyder. It has all kinds of things going for it yet I would be happier to be able to ride a two wheeled bike. But I can not. And so this is the next best thing.
If the thought stopped there I would likely let it go to where ever it is spent thoughts go in my brain. It dawned on me that this thought allowed me to better see things from Kelly’s perspective. The thought had come full circle. It is then that the thought itself became exceptionally interesting to me. Here we have a case where idea A is explained by idea B. Now understanding A better leads us back to an improved understanding of idea B. It just seems like that is too circular to have any validity.
As I started out with, it was a useful thought. At least for me.
