ENJOY Your Age! (Regardless of What it Is!)

Wow, this whole "fear of getting old" thing really got me going this week, didn't it? For my "Thankful Thursday" podcast I went totally "Mike" on you with no input from Napoleon Hill's book, "Think & Grow Rich".

Why?

Well, for one, he didn't have that much to say about the topic (and I did) and, secondly, I just know that a lot of people use this "I'm too old" excuse as simply that - AN EXCUSE to cease living and blessing the lives of others!

Stop using this (or ANY) excuse and step out there and start living your life TODAY!

You know, sometimes fear can be a good thing! What? Sure it can! IF that fear drives us to productive ACTION - then it can serve as the "kick in the pants" that we may need.

Here's what I mean. For example, if "the fear of getting old" is in place because you fear not having enough money to survive then USE THAT FEAR to step out there and DO SOMETHING about it! You have the wisdom, experience and ability to MAKE SOMETHING HAPPEN in your life that you've never allowed yourself to do - why not now?

Here's something in my podcast that I challenged everyone to write down and say aloud each and every day - "I like ME and I like BEING me!" - yes, this means regardless of your age. Don't allow others to tell you who you are and how you should act, dress, talk, etc. based on THEIR expectations! YOU be YOU - regardless of your age. YOU have much to offer to the world - so share your life and all the experiences that have come in your life and share you love that has grown in your life because of the life that you have lived.

And, above all...

"Make it an AWESOME Day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

SYMPTOMS of the FEAR of GETTING OLD

No, I'm not talking about "signs that you're getting old" such as:
- Your back goes out more than you do
- Everything hurts and what doesn't hurt doesn't work.
- The gleam in your eyes is from the sun hitting your bifocals.
- You feel like the morning after and you haven't been anywhere.
- Your little black book contains only names that end in M.D.
- You look forward to a dull evening
- You sit in a rocking chair and can't get it going.
- Your knees buckle, and your belt won't.
- Your Pacemaker makes the garage doors go up when you see a pretty girl.
- The little old gray haired lady you helped across the street is your wife.
- You sink your teeth into a steak, and they stay there.

O.k., o.k....that's enough of that. But MAYBE you were able to smile a little bit even if you ARE worried about getting older. Hey, listen friend - getting older is just part of life. Do you REALLY want to live forever? Really? Think about that.

Here's what I always wonder about "stories" similar to this that you may read in a book or watch in a movie. If that person doesn't age then how come they're always older than a baby? See what I mean? What age would be THE age that you'd wish to stay forever?

Nope, not me! I remember when I was a teenager I'd hear people say, "These are the best years of your life!" and I would think - "Then shoot me now!"

But, for now, in keeping with today's podcast, let's notice the symptoms of the fear of getting older as is mentioned in chapter 15 of Napoleon Hill's classic, "Think & Grow Rich".

1. The tendency to slow down and develop an inferiority complex at the age of mental maturity - falsely believing one's self to be "slipping" because of age.
Wow, do YOU ever do that? Do you ever begin to feel that you "can't keep up" because of your age? And what IS that age when that happens for/to you? Perhaps in your job you have this fear amplified due to the "younger" people that are out to "take over" (perhaps that is in your own mind?). Remember, YOU have the advantage in experience and, hopefully, wisdom! "Book-learning" isn't everything and you know that!

2. The habit of speaking apologetically of one's self as "being old" merely because one has reached the age of forty, or fifty, instead of reversing the rule and expressing the gratitude for having reached the age of wisdom and understanding.
Do you fall into this trap?Again, as is often said, "age is just a number". Now, I know that you DO age as you get older, but the idea behind that little saying is also expressed in this one - "You are as old/young as you feel!". Isn't that true? Why should we allow a number which simply states how long we have been alive dictate how we act and feel? There is simply no reason for it at all. Again, it is a mindset which we CAN control - it is up to YOU!

3. The habit of killing off initiative, imagination and self-reliance by falsely believing one's self too old to exercise these qualities.
Do you know how many men and women reach their greatest achievements after the ages of 40 or 50? Do some research on that. Check and see what the ages were of some of our greatest inventors. Don't get caught up in the thought and idea that it is only the "young" that have the ability to be creative or to take initiative. Sure, there are plenty of them out there and they get a lot of attention - but I can promise you that there are MANY "older" men and women that are accomplishing great and mighty things. I mentioned Jack Lalanne in my podcast today and the article about him in a recent edition of Success magazine. If you want to read some amazing information about what this man accomplished at ages that most would be content to sit in a rocking chair, then check out the link that will take you to that article:
http://www.successmagazine.com/founding-father-of-fitness/PARAMS/article/684

4. The habit of the man or woman of forty dressing with the aim of trying to appear much younger, and affecting mannerisms of youth; thereby inspiring ridicule by both friends and strangers.
Now, I understand what Mr. Hill is saying here, but I will share with you some opposing thoughts in a moment. But, let's address this first. To me, one thing that we can notice is that things have definitely changed since the time that this book was written. Sure, many still struggle with the idea that they are "old" at the age of forty. However, for the most part, it seems to me as if that number has been pushed "upward" by quite a few years. But, let's address the thought here. Yes, I have seen men and women that were trying to look much younger than they were and what they actually accomplished was simply looking ridiculous (a form of the word "ridicule" used by Mr. Hill). Perhaps it's the man that goes through his "mid-life crisis" and dons a ridiculous looking hair piece, buys a fancy, convertible sports car and begins to hang out at clubs frequented by people 20 - 30 years younger than he. (By the way, I have nothing against hair pieces! But I think you know what I mean.) OR perhaps it is the lady that drastically changes her whole wardrobe to try to dress like those much younger than she as well as hanging out at the same type clubs mentioned above.
Here's my take on all of this. DRESS IN A WAY THAT MAKES YOU HAPPY! Don't try to dress so that you "look younger" than you are or don't try to dress so that you are dressed "age appropriately". See what I mean? When we do that we are allowing others to decide for us how we should or shouldn't dress. Society - for whatever reason - seems to be a little easier on males in this respect than they are on females. I have noticed over the years that a lot of people would tell women that, when they reach a certain age (perhaps 40?) then their hair should be worn a certain way, the length of the hem of their dress should be a certain length and on and on it goes. I have seen many women look MUCH OLDER than they actually were due to this fact. WHY?

BE YOU! Today is the only day that you have at your disposal. Disposal. Think about that for a second! It cannot be recycled. Once it is gone, it is gone forever. So, how will YOU choose to live your day. Will you live in fear of the fact that this one day does, indeed, make you one day older? Why not live today enjoying it for what it has to offer and for what YOU can "squeeze" out of it and do not worry about your age?

Remember this: "TODAY is the TOMORROW that you worried about YESTERDAY!"

So, again, it's today and, in my opinion, you should celebrate who you are TODAY as well as celebrate this stage of your life - REGARDLESS of the number attached to it.

Live. Love. Laugh.

And, as always....

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

"The FEAR of GETTING OLD"

Do you remember when you were a teenager and what the definition of "old" was then? What was it for you - 20? 25? I'd say with certainty that, at that time in your life anyone that was 40 was "over the hill"!

I remember that I could not wait until I reached the age of 13 - to be a teenager.
Then, I couldn't wait until I reached the age of 14 - the age that I could get my driver's permit.
Then, I couldn't wait until I reached the age of 16 - the age at which I could drive by myself.
Then, I couldn't wait until I reached the age of 18 - just because it seemed to be an age that I was supposed to be an "adult" to some extent.
So, not age now, but I couldn't wait until I graduated high school - then college.
Then I couldn't' wait until I got married - then couldn't wait to have our first child.
Then I couldn't wait until he began to walk and talk.....and then from that point on it seemed like everything began to fly by way too fast!

Now, I'm 49 and will be 50 in November. I've been married for a little over 27 years. That first child, Jacob is now 25 and will have been married for 3 years on July 29th - tomorrow as I type this. My second son, Jeremy, is now 22 and has been married for a year as of the 11th of this month and my youngest son, Jordan is 18 and will begin his Senior year of High School (no, he didn't flunk - we just kept him out until he "had" to go - teachers have agreed with us that, for boys, this was a good thing to do).

You know, if I wanted to, I could look at all of that and really let it get me down. You know, I could allow myself to think stuff like, "WHERE HAS MY LIFE GONE?" I could really get melancholy over the fact that so much in my life has changed and it feels like - at times - that it has done so very quickly.

But....instead...I look at all of that and I am proud of what I have accomplished in my life up to this point! I am proud of the 27 years that I have been married to my wife, Janan. Has it been perfect - no. But it's been good! I'm proud of the fine young men that all 3 of my sons have grown up to be and am proud of the wonderful young ladies that my two oldest sons have chosen as their wives.

Sure, I do get a little misty-eyed at times when I look at pictures of the boys when they were young and I had dark hair as I carried them around on my back, or played ball with them in the yard. That's natural.

BUT...I have a choice on how I allow this to impact my life and my days! I LOVE MY LIFE! I love my age even though there are times that I am reminded that I cannot do some of the things I could do in days past. For example, I have a pair of glasses at my house, next to my chair. I have a pair of glasses at my office and (my wife really got a kick out of this) I had to buy another pair to carry with me on my motorcycle because I could read the map without them!

Sure, I know that - for the most part - my life is just about half way over. But why think about that? Why worry about that? I also know that now - at this stage in my life - I am enjoying things that I was not able to enjoy before! My wife and I are experiencing the ability to do things that we could not do when our sons were small and dependent on mom and dad for everything. Financially I am able to enjoy and do things that I could not do just a few short years ago. Do I still struggle at time? Yes! Am I set for life? No! But I live each day and I am trying to live each day to the full!

What about you? Do you dread your birthdays? Do you focus on what you cannot regain that you used to possess (your youth, for example)?

It's all in your mindset, my friend. It's up to you!

In the podcast for Wednesday we will discuss what Napoleon Hill lists as the "Symptoms of the Fear of Getting Old" but, for now....think about your day TODAY! And, as I mention in most all of my podcasts, always remember this fact: "As long as there is breath, there is hope!"

Celebrate your life. Today. Now. It's yours!

And, always remember -

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

Time With a Friend - (continued)

Ahhhh...I had a good lunch and now I'm ready to continue on with the details of our trip. Oh, the picture above? That's our bikes on top of PetitJean Mountain (our first stop) and I just thought it was a really cool looking picture - wouldn't you agree? And, oh, I'll talk more about this toward the end - but mine is the pretty blue one on the left!

O.k....back to the story as we begin to ascend Mount Magazine, the highest point in Arkansas. Let me interrupt here just for a moment to explain something that comes into play in this story - I AM DEATHLY AFRAID OF SNAKES!!! I forgot to mention that, on our way up to Rich Mountain on Thursday, there was a big black snake sunning in the opposite lane - and he took up the whole lane! I'm just glad I wasn't coming back down at that particular moment in time - I think my bike may have been without a rider! Why do I bring that up? On the way up to Magazine Mountain we passed by a HUGE rattle snake that had been hit by a car - thankfully in the other lane. I'm not sure how long he would be stretched out, but he was as big around as my forearm - and I have a pretty good-sized forearm! Again, I'm not sure what I would have done if we had been coming down at that time - but it would not have been fun or pretty!

May I take a moment and make a public safety announcement? Thank you. Please, when you are driving, pay attention to signs such as STOP signs. And when you see one - STOP! As we neared the top of this mountain and came to one intersection I slowed down to read the directional signs to make sure we were headed toward the lodge. It was a good thing I did as a car driven by a young girl (teenager) blew right through the sign - she didn't even slow down and I don't think she even saw the sign. Honestly, if I had not slowed down to read the signs, I might not be here typing this right now. So, people, when you drive - PAY ATTENTION!!
Thank you. I feel better now. ;)

As we neared the top where the lodge was located we found a spot with an incredible view and pulled over to take a look and take some more pictures. When we first got to that point there was no one there but us and I was disappointed that we may not be able to get anyone to take our picture together, but, while we were there a family of four pulled up and agreed to take our picture. While doing so the mother asked, "Hey, who's is the pretty blue bike?" You see, this is a running joke with Fred and me. His bike is a Harley - and you know how "Harley people" are about their bikes, right? It's like they think there is not any other kind of bike in the whole wide world and they do seem to price them like they believe they are the only bikes available in the whole wide world! ;) Anyway, my bike always gets compliments on it's paint job and I always am sure to "rub it in" to Fred when that happens. As a matter of fact, on Thursday as we were getting back on our bikes after lunch at Petit Jean a family was getting out of their vehicle and preparing to go on a hike. As I was getting on my bike the mom said to her daughter - "Now we know who belongs to that pretty blue bike!" I looked at Fred and winked as the little girl said, "I took a picture of it!" So, you see...I had a lot of chances to rub this in to my ol' pal, Fred!

Anyway, after taking this families picture and talking to them (yes, talking about that big rattle snake in the road) I offered to take their picture for them as well - which they appreciated. Again, it's always fun to meet and have a talk with people from different places - what a joy! As Fred and I were preparing to get back on our motorcycles this family who had already gotten in their vehicle and began to drive away stopped and the dad asked, "Can we get a picture of you guys for our camera?" Of course we agreed and I just thought how cool it was that these people wanted to include us in their "book of memories" from this trip.

Fred and I enjoyed a nice lunch in the restaurant of the lodge at the top of Mount Magazine but were a little disappointed that the atmosphere was not one that really was conducive to us "cutting up" as we usually do with the waiters and waitresses while we enjoy our meal. Oh, we were nice and friendly - but it was just different. Remember me telling you that Fred and I both like to drink a lot of liquid while we eat? This was really evident at the end of our meal. I looked over at the table next to us where 4 ladies had been sitting and enjoying lunch and noticed that there was only 1 glass on the table for each of them. You see, the waitress would just leave your glass on the table and bring another one full of your beverage when you needed more. So, it was obvious that each of these ladies had only one glass of tea, cola, etc. and some of them weren't even empty. Then I looked at our table at the end of our meal. There were 6 glasses in front of me and 6 glasses in front of Fred. Oops! (Diet Cola and Lemonade by the way - JUST IN CASE you are getting wrong thoughts!)

We loaded up and headed out with our next stop being Rogers, Arkansas. Again, not taking the main roads (such as I-40) but enjoying the back roads - like the Pig Trail Scenic Byway. I had never ridden this before and, though I had heard of it, didn't realize that this was part of the route I had mapped out. We accessed this beautiful highway by heading north on Hwy. 23 from Ozark - where most people would get on I-40. I cannot describe to you how beautiful this drive was...and how CROOKED this road was! In Arkansas you will see a lot of signs that read, "Crooked and Steep next ____ miles". When you see this sign for this road - they mean it! Some of the turns in the curves were literally like doing a u-turn in the middle of a highway, but it was absolutely worth it. I told Fred that I thought this was some of the most beautiful stretch of highway that I had ever traveled. Parts of this highway were completely engulfed in trees giving it a "tunnel" effect. Of course, the shade felt WONDERFUL on a very warm day - but the beauty was beyond description. I was looking for somewhere to pull over so I could get a picture, but was unable to do so. If you get the chance to drive this route (and aren't afraid of major "10 miles per hour" curves) do so - you'll be glad you did. I really think I may want to drive this one again in the fall when the leaves are changing.

Long story longer...we arrived in Rogers around 5-5:30 p.m. and were beat from the heat of the day. We found a very reasonably priced hotel (made sure they had a pool), checked in and parked the bikes. We were a little uneasy when 4 doors opened and looked our bikes over when we pulled up to park. Bad part was, our room was on the 2nd floor - too far away from our bikes for our own taste.

Now, again, Fred and I have a great time giving each other a hard time and I do so every chance I get. He was asking the clerk at the hotel for a good place to eat (How do you answer that? Doesn't that depend on what you want to eat, Fred??) when I physically took his body, turned him toward the door and pointed to a sign in the parking lot next door - "Braums" and I said, "Fred, we're eating there - right next door!" He agreed as neither of us wanted to get back on the bikes anymore for the day. We also noticed that gas across the street was priced at $2.11 - the cheapest we had seen yet - but were too tired to even go across the street on the bikes and decided to wait until the next morning. We did. And it had gone up to $2.21 overnight. Oh well!
As we walked into Braums Fred said, "Wow! They have regular food here?!" (Braums is known a lot for it's ice cream and Fred thought that was all they served). I said, "Fred, did you really think I was going to make a whole meal on ice cream?"

The servers were too busy to really have the chance to enjoy our humor - but there was an older man standing to the side waiting for his food that got quite a chuckle when Fred ordered a shake and the young lady behind the counter asked, "Sir, would that be a medium shake?" To which Fred replied, "Ha! M'am...do I LOOK like a medium shake???? Make it a large!"

Without going into every detail on the rest of the trip (there are a few things I really want to be sure I cover) I just have to mention the pool at the hotel which we headed for after supper. It had been hot that day. We were road weary. All I wanted to do was jump in that pool - and I did exactly that. Let me ask you a question - have you ever seen the movie "Vacation" (the first one) with Chevy Chase? Do you remember the scene when he jumps in the pool with Christy Brinkley? Well, that was pretty much me. I jumped in and got out very quickly as I discovered this water was C-O-L-D!!!!! As we were talking to the hotel clerk a few minutes later when he came out for a smoke I said something about it and told him that I was surprised he didn't hear me when I came up out of the water. With a grin on his face he said, "Oh, I heard you - and enjoyed every minute of it!" Yeah, yeah, yeah.

As we retired to our room a little later I kept worrying about our bikes and would go out on our balcony and look down to make sure they were not being bothered. The room right below us had some guys from part of some sort of work crew that were living it up for the night and were likely drunk by 8 p.m. Oh boy. We both finally gave up on checking again and again and turned in for the night only to be awoken at 4:30 a.m. by a knock on the door by two policemen. Well, one was a woman - which I'll get to in a moment. Fred answered the door (after looking through the curtain to see who it was) and, since they were police immediately said, "Are our bikes alright???" Now Fred wears gym shorts to bed and I was just in my boxer briefs as I stumbled to the door, past Fred onto the balcony to check on the bikes. Uh.....female...policewoman. Oops!
Anyway, apparently they were checking different rooms looking for someone besides us and we were able to go back to bed.

This next part is, without a doubt the HIGHLIGHT of the entire trip. Well, just the fact that we had breakfast at a Krispy Kreme doughnut shop was pretty cool - but it wasn't THE highlight. Fred wasn't able to finish the doughnuts he had ordered and took the remaining 4 or 5 over to a young family with 4 year old triplet boys to see if they would like to have them. They graciously accepted as one of the boys immediately grabbed one and shoved it into his mouth before mom and dad could answer! As Fred and I were preparing to hop on the bikes to head to the knife show, the family came out to see our bikes and Fred very kindly took each boy and sat them on his bike and allowed them to crank the throttle so they could hear it roar. This was priceless and a memory I will never forget. Of course they wanted to know first who owned the pretty blue one! (Yeah, Fred - that would be me.)

After this wonderful memory we located the knife show and spent about 1.5 hours there. Now, I like knives but Fred literally slobbers and drools over them so I allowed him the pleasure while I found a chair to sit in and relax. You see, within about 20 minutes I had seen all I needed to see, but not Fred! He was like a kid in a candy store - and I loved watching him interact with the vendors while there.

We then started the last leg of our journey back to my house under cloudy skies - which was nice in comparison to the glaring sun we dealt with the day before. We drove through very light rain most of the journey and stopped in Harrison, AR. for lunch and enjoyed another wonderful young lady that served us (yes, again, young enough to be our daughter) as we laughed and teased with her and we were all smiling as we spent our time there.

After getting into a little harder rain only about 15 miles from home we finally arrived back at my house at around 5:00 p.m. and after have covered right at 650 miles in the beautiful state that I call home. What a great time with a great friend!

One last note about the journey - Sunday afternoon after we all attended worship, my wife and I escorted Fred back up to Thayer, MO. to send him on the rest of his way and for us to head back. However, along the way we stopped in a little town called Salem for a short stretch only to have the 2 guys behind the counter ask, "Wow! Who's bike is that blue one? It's awesome!" (That's right Fred, I had to mention this one last comment before I finish!).

Hey, I have pictures posted of this whole trip on my Facebook page if you'd like to see them. You can request me to add you as a friend - but if you would, put a note with it letting me know you are doing so through the blog or Future You University. Thanks!

I hope you enjoyed reading all of this - I know it was a lot, but there was so much that we enjoyed on these wonderful 3 days toward the end of July in the year 2009.

Hey, as always, "Make it an AWESOME Day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Taking Time With a Friend

No, I have not abandoned my blog! ;)

I spent last Thursday - Saturday with my good friend, Fred (hey, ain't we handsome in that picture up there?) on our motorcycles as we hit some of the "high points" in Arkansas. I want to encourage each of you to try to find time to just "get away" - even if it's just for a few hours.

We began by leaving around 9 a.m. on Thursday and riding our bikes down to Petit Jean Mountain (near Morrilton, AR.). This is where the picture above was taken. As you can see, there were very beautiful views all around and we enjoyed taking in the views as well as having lunch at the Mathers Lodge restaurant. We really enjoyed laughing and teasing with the young lady (and I do mean young - these kids in the restaurants were usually young enough to be our own kids!) who took us to our seat as well as our waitress. Her name was Hope! (How appropriate since I always try to include my quote, "As long as there is breath, there is hope!" in my podcast each day. Hey, isn't it fun to bring a smile and a laugh to people? Try it - you'll like it!

We had lunch around noon and didn't leave until around 2 p.m. and then headed further south toward Mena, AR. Just outside of Mena is the second highest point in Arkansas - Rich Mountain - home of Queen Wilhelmina State Park. We enjoyed taking in the beautiful views once again, talking to other people that were doing the same and sharing this experience with each other.

By the time this was done, it was around 5 p.m. and we were tired and ready to find a hotel, a restaurant with a good steak and then a nice, relaxing pool! And, hey, we accomplished all three! Again, we had such a great time laughing with people that we met along the way. We had to make a stop at the Wal-Mart store in Mena and enjoyed laughing and joking with some of the clerks while there. (Interestingly, it just seemed people were drawn to us during this trip. I DO believe that when you set out with a positive mindset that people WILL be drawn to you!).

One of the clerks suggested a steak house in town and Fred and I were pleased to see that the parking lot was full - hopefully a sign of a good restaurant! Immediately we "hit it off" with the young lady (again, young enough to be our daughter - so we were "harmless" old dudes) that took us to our seats and enjoyed laughing with her as she sat us down and visited with us briefly. The young man (Michael - what a great name!) that was our waiter came to our table and, in a very monotone voice, greeted us. Of course Fred and I greeted him very enthusiastically and asked him how he was doing. I don't remember his exact answer, but it was something along the lines of, "It's been an absolutely great day." But, his voice didn't indicate so. I asked him, "Are you sure? Do you mean that or are you just saying that as a "canned greeting" that you give to everyone?" He looked at me with a grin on his face and said something like, "Well, with you guys, it's really a great day now!"

We found out from the hostess that he went back to her and thanked her for giving him "two awesome dudes" at his table. Again, it is such fun to interact with people and bring a smile to their face - and it brought a smile to ours as well!

Now, Fred and I are a lot alike in many ways. One of which is that we drink a lot of liquid when we eat which means that the waiter or waitress can spend a lot of time just refilling our glasses. While the waiter was refilling our glasses for the 2nd time in about 6 or 7 minutes Fred asked him if there was anyway that he could bring us a pitcher if it would not get him in trouble. The young man smiled and said he would check as he took our glasses from the table. In a few moments he returned but he didn't bring any glasses. Instead, he had a pitcher of drink for each of us with a straw in each pitcher! This was one of the funniest things I have ever seen and he had a huge grin on his face as he brought it to us. Of course, all others around us were noticing this and getting quite a kick out of it as well!

Well, long story short - the interaction with the crew was wonderful and the steak was as well. What a great time we had at The Chopping Block in Mena, Arkansas.

Once we finished supper, it was back to the hotel and time to hit the pool. Ahhhhhhhhhhh...how relaxing after a long day on the bikes and time to just kick back, relax and visit. One thing I really like about Fred is that I can truly be "myself" when I'm around him. I don't have to "pretend" or wonder about what I can or cannot say - I can simply be "me". We sat in the pool and talked for about 2 hours about all kinds of things. It was a very good experience for the both of us as we added even more value to the friendship that we shared.

Wow, all of that just in day 1!

Day 2 (Friday) started out again with us leaving Mena, AR. at around 9 a.m. Right away we could tell that the temperature was a bit warmer than the day before and we began to feel the sun right away. Our plans for this leg of the journey was to travel to Mount Magazine - the highest point in Arkansas - and then on up to Rogers, Arkansas for a knife show that was taking place there.

Now, anyone that likes to ride motorcycles knows that most of us like to take the back roads and stay off of the four-lane/interstate types of roads. You see a lot of beautiful scenery and get to travel thorough some neat little towns as well. The downside of that is the fact that you also travel with a lot less accessibility to things such as gas stations. No, I didn't run out of gas - but I still, to this day, don't know how I didn't! I do remember driving past one station and thinking, "I wonder if I should stop for gas?" However, I knew there were several more towns within the range of my gas gauge and moved on ahead. We passed through two little towns with no gas stations and I was beginning to sweat as we approached the third. About 7 miles out from this third town my gas gauge begin to "blink" at me which meant that I had less than a gallon of gas in the tank. As we neared the next little town I was sure hoping - and yeah, even praying - that there was a gas station located there. As we rounded the curve that would take us through the main part of town my heart sank as I saw that the town consisted of about 3 buildings - none of which offered gasoline. Uh-oh!

Fred had no idea of my situation so I pulled over and told him I was in serious trouble as far as gas. There was a young lady (she looked to be around 12) sitting on a porch of a house within speaking distance of us and we asked her how far it was to the next gas station. My heart sank as she replied, "Oh, about 30 minutes." I looked at Fred and said, "There is no way in the world I'm squeezing 30 more minutes out of this tank!" Although she didn't laugh out loud, the young girl did have a big grin on her face as she watched us try to figure out what we were going to do. So, we did the only thing we could do - we got on our bikes and rode.

Within about 2 miles of leaving this last little town was a sign that told us that we still had 17 miles to go before we reached the gas station. Again, my heart sank as I thought, "There is no way I'll make it." You know, when your mind is already expecting something negative to happen then you begin to think it IS happening. Several times I thought, "Yeah, I feel the engine starting to sputter - this is it!" only to realize it was my imagination and I was able to continue on a few more miles. About 6 miles out (which was closer than I thought I'd get) we came upon some road work taking place that required us to stop due to the work. This was NOT what I needed at this time! We were the only 2 vehicles on our side and we pulled right up to the flagger and I said, "Oh man, this ain't good! I'm riding on fumes!" He smiled and said, "Well, if it were up to me, I'd let you on through, but you have to wait for the 'pilot car' to take you through." He then got on his radio and asked them to hurry up because we were about out of gas.

Alas we made it past the construction and continued on to the little town of Parks, AR. Sweating it out mile after mile wondering which one would be my last before I had to pull over somewhere. Unbelievably, I DID make it to the little town of Parks and nearly collapsed as I pulled into the little country store lot with two tanks out front. Whew! After filling my tank I discovered that I had 1/10 of a gallon left - I wasn't going much further! Thank you , Lord!

We traveled on until we begin to ascend Mount Magazine. This is around Paris, AR (yes, Paris - we also passed through a little community called "Egypt" and also noticed that "London" was not too far away! Wow, we traveled further than I thought! ;p ) in case you ever have the chance to visit this beautiful area. I realize that I am getting long-winded in this story - but there was so much to share.

So, here's what I will do - I need to stop for my lunch break and then I will continue on with the story in a second part when I return.

Hey, until that time - if you've read all of this - ENJOY TODAY! Laugh and share your laughter with others - what a great way to spend time with other people.

And, until I get back - "Make it an AWESOME Day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike