Everything is exactly the way it has to be. It cannot be any different.

I am continually astounded at how life works, how it is a serendipitous blend of coincidence, fate and the law of attraction at work. I don't believe in luck; I believe you bring it with you. Let me take the dear reader down a path now, a series of events that are too fantastical to dream up. I bought a motorcycle recently, a 1997 BMW F650 with next to no miles on it. Immediately, I fell in love with riding it, as I feel like I am riding a swiss army knife of capabilities, only limited by my own skill at keeping the shiny side up. Gravel? No problem. Commuting? Easy-peasy. Sunday ride? Comfortable. Touring? Hmm, can someone tour on an F650? We'll see. I needed an oil change, as the previous owner couldn't tell me when the last time it was changed, so I began researching my options. An F650 is a little more complicated than just undoing a plug and watching it pour out - there is oil in the frame that must come out too, by taking off panels and hoses and working uncomfortably close to hot exhaust pipes. At least, that is my impression of the process. I opted to take it to Bentley Motorrad, as they had a wonderful sale on. As I waited the hour or so that it takes to change oil, the salesman commented to me that someone had ridden my exact bike around the globe, and written a book about it, to boot! This was instantly interesting to me, and I looked at the book several times before reluctantly putting it down and buying a baseball cap, instead. I rode home and thought that I must look for this book sometime. The book is by Rene Cormier, and is titled "The University of Gravel Roads - Global Lessons from a four year motorcycle adventure" and I highly recommend it to anyone who likes to dream of the road less travelled. Fast forward one week. I'm at work, and someone needs a passport photo taken. I take his membership card, and saw the same name as the book I'd been looking at a week earlier. I asked if he was the same guy that wrote the adventure travel book, and he was flabbergasted that I recognized him. I was then flabbergasted that I was in the presence of someone who had proven that I just bought the best motorcycle ever made, and my mind raced madly to ask him intelligent questions about the bike. Sadly, I left my mind in neutral, so it spun madly but made no traction. In a blinding flash of inspired action, I asked if he would be interested in having coffee the next morning and we could discuss bikes, travel and some of the more interesting aspects of riding. He agreed, and the next day spent an hour talking shop. When I look back at how serendipitous that whole meeting was, I cannot believe it was chance. Chance is finding a twenty on the ground. In order for that meeting to take place, I had to have a) bought a BMW F650; b) needed an oil change at the same time that Bentley had such a wonderful sale, that I didn't want to bother to change it myself; found myself with an hour to spare in the store where the book was located; not to mention all the events that led up to him needing a passport photo, coming to our office and having no other agents available to help. Chance? I don't think so. Law of Attraction? I leave it to the reader to decide. I will end this post with a photo of my handlebars, with one of my favorite sayings on it.