Early Sunday Sermon - sort of

Overcoming Disappointment.

My little guy Connor (11 yrs) has had his first real bout with disappointment. We were out today on our motorcycles and Connor's bike locked up on the trail. I was behind him and watched as he gradually rode slower and slower. I could tell something wasn’t right in the way he kept looking down at his machine, left side, right side, back to the left…then the rear wheel locked and slid. He skidded to a stop and I stopped beside him and shut down. “somethings wrong dad” he said with more than a little fear and a touch of frustration in his voice. “Well lets take a look” I replied. I couldn’t kick it over and knew from experience that the motor was seized. I wasn’t surprised. Having been riding since I was six and competing MX through my teens I’ve blown up many a bike in my time and my son showed all the classic rider body movements prior to the motor failure.

I told Connor that I think the motor is blown and our riding was done for today. He replied, “It’s not my fault Dad-really!” He was upset to say the least. I told him not to worry about it, this sort of thing happens. I tossed him up onto my bike and rode out to the truck. We loaded my bike up and drove into the trail with the blazer-thank the maker for four-wheel drive. All the way Connor said very little. After we loaded his bike I asked why so quiet? He blurted out that now he can’t come out with me anymore and he would have to stay home and and and …you know how kids are, he filed this little set back as a major catastrophe that would ruin his riding summer and his time out with dad. I explained that we will take a look at it when we got home and see what we could do. He wasn’t that convinced but lightened up when we stopped for slushies on the way home as per our routine. In between brain freeze’s we talked and he proudly described how he drove through a water hazard and then climbed the bank on the other side…I smiled recalling in my minds eye what he described because of course I was there, riding behind him.

When we arrived home he went inside to get out of his gear while I unloaded. He was out in a flash, clean clothes, dust on his face around where his goggles would have been but eager to find out what was wrong with his bike. He didn’t want to wait for me to change out of my riding gear so we started to tear it down. Connor watched and asked questions and before he knew it (about twenty minutes) we held the piston complete with seized rings in our hands and Connor was fascinated with holding the scored cylinder up to the sun to look at the gouges. At that point he became sullen again, so that’s it dad? Scrap right? I looked at him kind of surprised, “No buddy,” I said, “On Monday after work we’ll take the cylinder in your hand and that wrecked piston to Kawasaki in town and have them fix it”. How do they do that? He asked. I replied that they would bore or make bigger the cylinder and give us a new piston and rings to match.” “Oh” he said, “and then it will be good like before?” I told him that it would be better; it will be maybe like a 90cc instead of the old 80cc. Is that better? Was his query, I said bigger means more power and faster. His smile returned.

This was Connors real first brush with disappointment over something he really cares about, he’s had the usual things, friends cancel, not able to go somewhere or do something but this is the first time that something tangible (his motorcycle) failed and could mean a very real loss of an activity could be at hand (he knows that I can’t just pop out to the shops and pick up another – I wish ) What he did learn that we didn’t get excited over the whole thing and keeping a clear head we got out of the woods, survived another Saturday afternoon of slushie induced brain freeze, together we discovered the reason behind his monumental extreme motor sport power slide, lol. And that he will be back on the trails maybe even next weekend. From his precieved disaster to no biggie.

I’m hoping that this first encounter will set a president for future things that go awry in his life; The lesson that everything can be overcome with the right frame of mind.

MTFBWU-A

Thank you for sharing that Master Garm. Beautifully wrote, it kind of rolled before my mind`s eye like in the flicks. You are lucky to have such an open minded son. Your son also had a good experience because of the great understanding his Dad has. And both of you are lucky to drive such machines.:laugh: The Force is strong with you two.

It is sometimes through disappointment that we learn a great lesson. Not only from others or about others but also of ourself.

90cc eh. rather enjoy watching carmicheal ride in MX.

Ricky's comming back since Bubba's injury last year, James isn't the same. Do they run the same class anymore though...I'll have to check

Master Lenny it has been at least 2 years since I kept up with MX. I know I know shame on me. But school and work have taken priority.

Seeing that I don't have the channel here that covers it anymore I think we can both be forgiven. :laugh:

Wow. This is the first time I've read this whole story. I loved it so I thought I'd bump it so *bump*

Very nice story. Nothing like starting your day with a story like that. Thnaks for the post.