The year was 1985. I was a college graduate in search of an adventure. For years I had dreamed of riding a motorcycle up into the Alaskan panhandle to work on a commercial fishing boat. The work was dangerous but I was young, athletic, and skilled in the art of Shorinryu karate. In my mind, I had all the tools needed to earn some fast cash in the wild frontier.
At the time, I was living in the Pacific NW; working two jobs. During the day, I worked a small landscaping business I had started; and at night I managed the bowling alley at McCord Air Force Base. After about 9 months, I finally saved the money I needed to pursue my dream. Alaska here I come!
But then something unexplainable happened.
I still don’t know how it occurred. Instead of buying a new motorcycle for my adventure down at our neighborhood Harley Davidson dealership, I somehow found myself emptying my wallet at the local Ben Bridge Jeweler. With straightforward intentionality, I kicked to the curb my Alaskan dream and decided instead to pursue…a woman. What the heck was I thinking?
It is CRAZY what a person will do for love.
Have you ever put a dream on hold? Ever had your plans re-routed? Delays, detours, and even disasters are factors we ALL face in life. When the road offers YOU a curve, how do YOU typically respond?
Fast forward twenty-nine years. The conversation went something like this:
Me: Hey babe, I’m thinking about buying a motorcycle. My wife: OK. Me: Really? Wife: Uh-huh. Me: Wow, that was easy. Wife: Oh honey, the girls are all grown up now and you’ve waited long enough. Besides, you DESERVE one! (I am pretty sure that is how the conversation went).
I seized the moment.
Utilizing social media, I fired off a Facebook message to a man who lives in South Dakota who knows a thing or two about motorcycles. Brian Klock is internationally renowned for customizing motorcycles. He is a man of faith and is super generous with his time and expertise. If anyone could help set me up with a sweet ride, reminiscent of my Alaskan dream, it would be my kustombaggers.com cousin.
I still remember New Year’s Day 2014 as if it were yesterday. I was golfing with some friends, a tradition we have every year, when my cell phone rang. Brian: Are you going to be home in about six hours? Me: Yeeesss. Why? Brian: I am going to be in your neighborhood and thought I’d drop something off.
Brian lives in South Dakota and I live in Southern California. “Hmmmm. I wondered. What does he have ‘up his sleeve?'”
It felt like Christmas morning. Six hours later, 
just as he had forecasted, Brian and Laura Klock rolled up to our house; and in the back of their truck was an artistically customized, Victory Vegas 8-ball motorcycle.
Have you ever seen a grown man cry? Dreams DO come true.
Take-away: Life has taught me that delays CAN BE a good thing. And detours ARE something God sometimes uses to hone our character; cultivate our maturity; and prepare us for new responsibilities.
Is there any chance that YOU are currently in the midst of some delay? If so, can I offer you some encouragement?
Don’t throw in the towel. Instead, keep moving forward. Keep growing. And when opportunity nudges you, rekindle that dream.
