In the space of a few nanoseconds....

A lot can happen in a seemingly short amount of time.

Today I finished my first full week of work at Sungard and I think it's going to be a good place to work.  The work is challenging but within my abilities, the people are friendly and easy going, lots of room to grow in the organization and the commute is easy.

I got home before 5:00 PM and as soon as I walked in my sons yelled out: "Mom got a job!", they seemed quite excited.  I looked at my wife and she confirmed the news with a big smile.  She's going to be the school nurse at the high school my sons will someday end up at.

The first thing out of my mouth?  "So, can I quit my job and ride around the world on my motorcycle?"  I said this half jokingly but my Martha, my loving wife replied: "You want to?"

As I hesitated for those few nanoseconds, my mind's eye saw me astride Natasha.  She and I were cruising along the steppes of Mongolia, in the tire prints of my hero Hubert Kriegel who's currently there on his Ural Sidecar Rig.  He's currently on his sixth year of his ten year ride all over the world.  LINK.

In the space of those nanoseconds, I was riding the Nürburgring on my '87 R80 BMW, slinging her around the tight turns with ease and verve, passing Ducatis and Porsches as if they were standing still.  Well, maybe not Ducatis and Porsches but definitely K75 Beemers!

In the space of those nanoseconds, I'd just turned off my engine on my motorcycle after having ridden from Deadhorse, Alaska to Ushuaia, Argentina along the Pan-American Highway of legend.  Surviving bad roads, bandits, kidnappers, corrupt customs, police and border agents, terrifying weather and of course without a single flat tire or mechanical breakdown.

In the space of those nanoseconds, I revisited by motorcycle all the places I served at when on active duty with the Army in Europe.  Circumnavigating Italy and Germany, surviving the traffic of Rome and Florence, twisting the throttle till it turned no more on the autobahns of Germany and maybe passing a Ducati or two while doing so.

In the space of those nanoseconds, I'd returned home after all the above traveling and hung out a shingle running a tour service for motorcycle riders who wanted to explore the beauty of the Rocky Mountains and points beyond.

In the space of those nanoseconds, I'd ridden through all fifty of these United States, meeting folks I've only met online and come home richer in friends and with incipient cirrhosis of the liver caused by too many drinks while spending time with those friends after having ridden our motorcycles on their favorite roads.

Yep, a lot happened during those few nanoseconds.  Then I came back to reality and said: "No, but thanks for offering" or some such words.  I married a good one didn't I?