I commuted to work today on my 2023 Moto Morini 650cc Scrambler after more than 6 weeks since the last time I rode to the office. It was a joyous quiet celebration as I parked my motorcycle in the office parking lot right before sunrise. No one around but me, other employee cars, and a great feeling of accomplishment. Yet, just a few hours before my arrival I was battling nerves, anxiety, and lots of self-doubt. “Could I do it?” I pondered as I stood outside looking at my parked Moto Morini in my mom’s garage. That was 4am. The day before I began noticing how much anxiety was building within me. But I was excited to ride my bike. To reach this point had been like lifting a heavy weight and letting it go, watching that weight crash to the floor in a million pieces. Since my last commute in early December, I had crashed a second time on my bike, towed my bike to the shop, got it repaired, and then Charleston, South Carolina, my home, was hit with a freak winter storm lasting two days that cause a bit of mayhem in the community. Honestly, the weather had been bitter cold for weeks, so my beloved Moto Morini stayed parked in the garage.

This morning it was different. The weather forecast was great. Melted snow still lingered but the roads where clear. But my brain kept announcing negative thoughts as I stood outside my mom’s garage looking at my bike. Commute rides are by far the most dangerous and exciting times for me on my motorcycle. Yet, the morning of my first commute of 2025, I quickly realized I need to practice a few minutes of mindfulness before preparing to begin my commute day. Though I haven’t been consistent with mindfulness over the years, lately though I have been practicing mindfulness more often. And what better way to leverage mindfulness than before a nervy motorcycle ride. Seating myself at my desk chair, closing my eyes, I let an audio recording of a mindfulness breathing practice fill my spirit. Breathing in. Breathing out. Letting my focus be on my breath, I soon was able to slow my mind and focus stronger on the goal at hand; commute to work via motorcycle. Once the recording was done, I opened my eyes ready for my commute.

Finding my work badge, I worked up to the door, swiped my badge and went in. The emotions of surviving a challenging commute started to wear off. I got a cup of coffee, said good morning to my fellow co-workers, and sat at my desk. Taking a moment to collect myself, I resumed the breathing exercises from earlier and allowed myself to be centered in the moment. Reaching this point is amazing especially since so much work it took to reach this point. I am proud of myself. As a YouTube video short suggested the night before, do things that are scary. And that is so true. Anchoring my first commute ride of 2025 with the simple approach of mindfulness helped me tremendously. Now….I would need to get myself ready for the PM commute.

Rolf