IWSG August 2013, A Day Late and a Dollar Short

Quote of the Day: I don't think you have time to waste not writing because you are afraid you won't be good at it. Anne Lamott

I'm a day late and a dollar short on this month's posting for the Insecure Writer's Support Group, hosted by Alex J. Cavanaugh (click his name for a list of more participants and an explanation of how the group got started). I think we should have an IWSG week instead of just one day. I know I could use more therapy, and with summer and all its distractions, a little wiggle room on time. Thanks.

I was part of this exciting event the past four days in Sturgis, SD, home of the largest motorcycle rally, started in 1940.

Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, August 5, 2013

 

I have this dilemma at the moment of having so much life to live, adventures to experience, and family and friends to spend time with, that I'm afraid (and rightfully so) that I won't take the time to write. So, I've tried to combine my activities with my love of writing and recording life. I write reviews for theaters in the Minneapolis/St. Paul areas. I write about arts events in my home area, Brainerd lakes area, and I'm writing about my travels on another blog, Ride off the Page. You can read more about the Sturgis Rally and this year's trip there. I'll be posting there in the next few days.

 

I had huge insecurities about being a travel rider/writer, especially blogging from the back of a bike. Up until last summer, I'd never been on a street bike before, much less taken a wild west tour on one. So, the details and the language were foreign to me. I thought, real bikers won't want to read my travel blog. Non-bikers will question my mental health. My travel companions, and folks we met along the way, might not want me to expose them to the world wide web. So, I almost didn't write it. But, I had encouragement from the Biker Chef and our friends and family who enjoyed living the trip through our pictures and words. And I thought, why not? I'm a good writer. I know how to make the event come alive for others, and I love taking photos.

 

So, my fellow insecure writers, write what you are drawn to write. If it is placed in your heart to do it, then it IS your thing. You ARE the one who is supposed to tell that story. Write it. Don't apologize and don't hesitate. Your adventure is at your fingertips.

 

Go. Create. Inspire!

 

Journaling Prompt:  What are you waiting for? What is holding you back?

My Beef with the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally Survey

Quote of the Day:  You must have a room, or a certain hour or so a day, where you don't know what was in the newspapers that morning, you don't know who your friends are, you don't know what you owe anybody, you don't know what anybody owes to you. This is a place where you can simply experience and bring forth what you are and what you might be. This is the place of creative incubation. At first you may find that nothing happens there. But if you have a sacred place and use it, something eventually will happen.

~JOSEPH CAMPBELL

I took my first ever motorcycle tour this summer, traveling from Brainerd, MN out to Yellowstone National Park, and back home via the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in SD, over 2450 miles, on the back of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. (You can read all about it at Ride off the Page!) See the bag strapped to the back? That held all the things I brought including my laptop, Nikon camera and all the chords one needs for all their gadgets these days. It was freeing, actually, to pack light, rewear clothes (same jeans all week, oh, ya), not worry too much about my hair considering it either looked like helmet head, windblown tangles, or pulled back in a headband, and focus on the experience.

I did not bring an ipod, and it seemed impossible to read a book back there with the wind whipping around, sometimes trying to drag my helmet off, so I spent all those miles...thinking. At first, I had to let my responsibilities go, feeling them roll off and down the highway as we speeded along the "super slab", as the Biker Chef called it. By the time we got to the Beartooth Pass, I heard the message that it was okay to be there.

I've been to the top of the world!

So, what's my beef with the Sturgis Rally Survey? I was a first-time attendee, feeling a bit like I was in a foreign country, wondering if I belonged. I got to the page of the survey that has you check your interests. They were all things like attending other rallies and outdoor activities like hunting, fishing, and riding. Only one choice was something different, quilting. I didn't check that one either because I don't enjoy quilting (don't tell my mom). I looked at the Chef and said, "I guess I'm an atypical person attending the rally."

What's the point of having that question if they already assume they know who shows up there? And, really, no other person who enjoys riding also enjoys art? Have you seen the artwork on their bodies and bikes? No other biker is into music?  Hmm....I have proof otherwise.

I knew I'd see someone with a guitar strapped to their bike!

Glad I had my camera handy for this photo opp.

So, I had to wrestle with the Who am I question, and the Do I belong one, too. And, the Sturgis Survey didn't do anything to help me feel more welcome, so I had to keep thinking as I watched the highways and byways roll beneath me and the mountains rise before me and the hot wind tear around me, and discovered that I'm me no matter where I am or what I'm wearing. I'm still the same creative spirit under the leather as I am at the coffee shop. And, I'm grateful for all those thoughtful miles. In fact, I miss them. I haven't had much time to just think since I've gotten home. 

And, hey, Sturgis Rally Survey Writers, if you really want to know who attends the rally, have more variety in your hobbies/interests page.

Thank you.

Go. Create. Inspire!

Journaling Prompt:  Have you ever been in a situation where you felt out of place? What did you do to regain your sense of self? Have you attended the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally and taken the survey? What did you think?