Father's Day

Today is Father's Day. My dad has a perfectly restored, museum quality Indian stored away in some garage. He never rides it, or even goes to look at it. He is content to know that it's there. Seems a shame to me.

He tells me that he used to ride around with me sitting on the tank of the bobber he used to have. I don't remember it, too young at the time. When I wanted to get my first motorcycle he fought me all the way. The little Honda C110 that I finally got took me far and wide. I once rode it from San Francisco to Los Angeles and then up to Yosemite. About 800 miles in a week. My dad told me I was crazy. I wasn't crazy, just young.

He was a product of the Depression. He tried to teach me fear, fear of everything. Luckily it didn't work too well. I think the best thing a father could give his children is confidence in themselves. If you have that everything else is possible. Without it you are doomed to a life of shadows.

I'll call my dad today and wish him well. We are far from best friends but after all these years we've learned to co-exist. When I visited last month I looked at the C110 that is now my brother's and smiled. I had no urge to go back but it all had to start somewhere.
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