My dad wrecked his bike last week. He's almost 70 and made the decision to stop riding/owning a motorcycle. In one way, this was an easy decision for him. In a lot of other ways, it isn't.
Dad downplayed this wreck to me. When I talked to him on Friday, he said he had a little road rash and a cut across his nose. Today he added a battered right side, smashed up shoulder, two black eyes, and 'there was a lot of blood on the ground.' So yeah. Okay. He didn't die and he didn't have to have surgery, but this wreck messed him up. Given that it did, his age, his eyesight, the fact that his bike was totaled, and that things could have been a lot worse, he decided that he wouldn't replace his Harley. This is the end of his riding days.
And yes, it's a practical decision. I'm happy he made it because when you've grown up around people who ride, you end up knowing a lot of stories about people who died when they crashed their bikes. I don't want to lose my dad that way.
At the same time, today he told me he's really depressed about this decision. And I get that. He's been riding since he was 14. It was his first real taste of freedom and it's always been a very therapeutic experience for him. My dad enjoyed working on his bike as much as he did riding it. He understood it. I will always firmly believe that when we know how to fix the things in our lives ourselves, we're happier people. He's losing that and he knows he's losing it because of age. That's a sucky place to be.
When you buy a Harley, it's tradition to give you a small bell to hang on it for good luck. Dad's ride bell got smashed in the accident, but he picked it up and took it with them anyway. I told him he should turn it into a necklace so he always has part of the bike with him. I hope he does that. It might help.
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