Good Spot for a Nap!
“Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer’s day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.”
Or how about to gaze at your motorcycle while you lean up against a tree, letting the afternoon sun warm your soul? On this particular day I was reminded of the John Lubbock quote that you see at the beginning of this post. Now I don’t think Mr. Lubbock was considering laying in the town center of Shirley MA looking at a beautiful 2004 Red Ducati ST3 when he penned the book the use of life. However, one thing I love about finding quotes about life is applying them to motorcycle rides and adventures. Like he also said in a book he published (Peace and Happiness) in 1909..
“The whole value of solitude depends upon oneself; it may be a sanctuary or a prison, a haven of repose or a place of punishment, a heaven or a hell, as we ourselves make it.”
Sitting at that spot on that day back in 2018, it was a late summer afternoon most likely the middle of September and it was one of those days I just needed to be away from home, work and everyday life a little escape of reality to find some solitude. Most of my life I’ve always looked at solitude as my sanctuary never a prison Riding my motorcycles most defiantly qualifies as a haven of repose for me, and I’m sure many of you reading this!
Sitting here I remember thinking how wonderful it would be to just take a little nap. I was reminded of a time back in the Late 80s working for a company and I was in my truck driving thru the center of Harvard MA, I was going out to check on an employee who was working in this area. At the time I was a supervisor and part of my job was to go out and meet up with employees in the towns they were working in. This was a Local New England lawn fertilizer company. As I pulled up into the center of town, I noticed the truck parked on the side of the road and I could see the lawn Technician lying next to a tree in the grass on the town common. I walked up to him only to find the guy snoring loudly, fast asleep at 11am. Now I don’t remember our company’s policy on taking naps, but he explained to me he didn’t eat lunch but took a 30 min nap every day. Now that I’m 56-years-old I do realize this guy was a true champion!
So back to this day in Shirley, I wasn’t working but now that I been self-employed for over 30 years even if I was, I didn’t have to worry about my boss coming up to me. I closed my eyes, leaned back against the tree and dozed off a bit. It might have been only 15 or 20 minutes that I napped here but it was one of those memorable ones. When I opened my eyes, the Ducati was the 1st thing I saw, and brought a smile to my face. That L twin from Bolonga Italy, the red paint, the upswept Sil moto Pipes just a beautiful piece of machinery!
thank you, Mr. Lubbock and Chris, (from 1988) you both reminded me that sitting here watching the clouds float by is by no means a waste of time!
