Beware The Wussiness...

[DDT (12)]

Beware The Wussiness...
 
I've been around the block a time or ten, so I know I'm not alone with this observation. It can strike at any time, any place, or any situation, as we all know. It’s a time when our imaginations kick-in, sort of like AI, I guess, and induce our creative juices to flow freely like water from a fire hose.

That in turn enables us to conjure up justifications for not undertaking a strenuous task, exposing ourselves to extremes of weather conditions, or undertaking any other thing we don’t really want to do. A time when we simply allow ourselves to shamelessly loaf around instead of tackling the work we really should go after. Some call those who routinely engage in that practice 'Wussies'...
 
It's been said that we all function at the level of our highest unmet need. If we're hungry, for example, we're not particularly focused upon sending financial aid to some third world country... We are, however, very concerned with finding a can of Vienna Sausages and some crackers! Likewise, if we're safe and secure, have all our bills paid, are comfy and recently fed, then we might be inclined to consider lending a hand to the less fortunate abroad.
 
When conditions are ideal, I'm strongly inclined to pull away from my most recent ‘home’ and venture forth. When it's raining or very cold or hot, on the other hand, I'm inclined to hunker down, especially when I've been riding recently anyway and have nary a discernable symptom of PMS.

I know in such times I can easily find myself succumbing to ‘Wussiness’. A condition with which I’m all too familiar, as a matter of fact, and one in which I happen to be indulging as I write this exposé. It’s not as decadent as it may at first appear, though…
 
When one lives mostly in motels all around the continent, one quickly discovers any one of them is pretty much like any other. Some are, admittedly, a bit nicer than others, and some do offer proximity to food or other needs within easy walking distance. By-in-large, however, they’re pretty much the same. I live in them mostly because that is necessary to further the other essential aspect of my life, and that is riding our girl to just about any place I get a notion to visit.
 
One very recent morning, I went outside to greet our girl and to tell my baby I love her. I also wanted to brief her on my thoughts about where we might go and what time we might depart. She likes to hear these things, I’m convinced, so it is a usual routine for us.

However, that morning there was a noticeable crispness in the air and frost on her saddle! Cold rain the next day was also forecasted, and the day after that was expected to be even colder than that day. After that, a warming period was to begin.
 
So, we could have ridden that day in the cold knowing it would warm a wee bit further south and later in the day. Then we’d still need to hunker down for three nights to allow the rain to pass and the temp to rebound some. Our tentative destination in eastern North Carolina remained the same in either case, so…
 
Why not just stay put and leave here another morning instead of staying at another motel for those same three nights following an uncomfortably cold ride to get there? I chose not to fold my tent, load the camel, and move to a different sand dune… Instead, I am sitting in this same warm cozy room with a Walgreens directly behind and a Waffle House right next door, as I compose this treatise… and being a bit Wussie… again… Be careful out there, y'all, this could happen to anybody!
 
DDT
 

[DIGGER]

Awe....what to heck....hunker down....

[carolinarider09]

Why not just stay put and leave here another morning instead of staying at another motel for those same three nights following an uncomfortably cold ride to get there? I chose not to fold my tent, load the camel, and move to a different sand dune… Instead, I am sitting in this same warm cozy room with a Walgreens directly behind and a Waffle House right next door, as I compose this treatise… and being a bit Wussie… again…
 
DDT
 

I like that.  That would be my choice.  Although the prices at Waffle House have changed over the years since I first started having breakfast there (say 2001, not sure) on the way to work, they are, in general, very nice places for me to have a meal. 

Breakfast anytime of day is what I like.

In 2007, my riding friends and I decreed Waffle House to be the morning meeting place before our ride started. 



If remained that way for some 10 plus years. 

[GiG]

Yeah, if you move on, you’ll just be looking for another hotel that offers the same annemomies  

[3fan4life]

With less than desirable weather on the way it is wiser to stay put, especially if the current accommodations are to your liking.

Besides, packing the camel back up everyday does become tedious. 

[old2soon]

    Well yet again Bruce I Know of that which you speak. There were days on the Yorktown I had No choice as I was made to unass the warm rack and leave the warm chow hall and git up on a cold rainy wind swept flight deck. Also dropped and hooked my tractor trailer in less than ideal conditons. And Now that I Are Retired I can actualy Pick whatever the heck I wanna do and the When of doing it! And Personally I sincerely believe now finally those choices Are MINE!  RIDE SAFE.

[Hook#3287]

Does wussiness beget procrastination?

Or does procrastination beget wussiness?

I don't know, but my father used to tell me I was a "Procrastinator"

I didn't know what that was and thought I should look it up.

Then I thought "I can do that tomorrow "

Chances are, Bruce, you been down those roads to the next room anyways, so waiting on better weather is acceptable.

There's a difference between riding and smart riding and imho staying in a warm room as opposed to riding in questionable weather is smart riding.

[Rams]

Yeah, if you move on, you’ll just be looking for another hotel that offers the same annemomies  

Agreed but, it's the experience of getting there that matters.  Sometimes, it's simply better to hold the ground you've got versus what might be waiting for you.   I personally believe that DDT has that formula down pretty well.

Too many times I've let other priorities override that caution light that's blinking away in my head.

Rams

[GiG]

Caution: Beware- Spiny Sea Creatures!    Could be Toxic 

[LadyDraco]

Sometimes one must not confuse wussiness for common  sense 

DAMHIKT

[DDT (12)]

Keith,

Yep, that's the conclusion I came to! I'm not a scaredy-cat, mind you, but I do enjoy at least some comfort and lower risk activities...

DDT (12)



Jim,

Like you, I've been a customer of Waffle House for many years (since the 60's for this breakfast aficionado). While they don't make the four-star rating list, they do offer quick service, decent food, OK variety, coffee very much to my liking, modest prices and... breakfast 24/7/365! That last thing has proven to be a really big deal for this 'first meal' lover!

They also offer grits at all of their locations... more or less... I actually did have to wait for them to make some in Colorado (north of Denver) once upon a time, though... They apologized, of course, but offered they didn't get much call for them around there... I wouldn't have had them bother ordinarily, but I was entering the early stages of grits withdrawals at the time, and it was important to me.

I've also used that as a rendezvous location to meet up with fellow riders... and to get a quick bacon fix, too, while we're at it...

DDT (12)



Gig,

Yep, that stark reality was a prominent feature in my decision-making process! Scary, huh...? Us thinking so much alike and all...

DDT (12)



Mark,

They weren't deluxe accommodations but more than satisfactory, and a place at which I've stayed before. All my buttons were pushed by that location, so... Yes, tedious is not a bad word to describe the tent folding and all that... particularly when done daily. However, it can also be viewed as ride foreplay, if one is inclined to seek facilitating thoughts, plus it's probably healthy anyway... the exercise and all. Cold riding, while it can be exhilarating, isn't my first choice for desirable experiences! I do hunker often...

DDT (12)



Dennis,

Yes indeed, we all have had to do things we didn't enjoy or have any say in the matter while gainfully employed. Once retired, however, our gamefully unemployed status has given us virtually complete say in those decisions... Like you, I'm enjoying that immensely!

DDT (12)



Bill,

Like you, I've never gotten around to finding out exactly what procrastination is either... Perhaps I'll look into that some more... one of these days... As for any links to wussiness, well, I'll just have to give that some thought, as well... perhaps even as early as tomorrow...

Yeah, I had no way of knowing just how others might react to my confession on this, but I did strongly suspect I'd find at least some agreement. I've not only experienced that phenomenon myself, but I've also observed it all over the place! Yes, I am enjoying the fruits of my good choice...

DDT (12)



Ron,

Good observations all! Thanks for adding your unique perspective. Yes, there is indeed great peril in ignoring that caution light when blinking in our minds! Care to ask me why I so readily agree with that statement...?

DDT (12)



Gig,

Oh those spiny sea creatures! Prickly little bastids can be downright treacherous for sure!!! Thanks for the tip...

DDT (12)



Tracy,

Thank you for making that comparison. Yes, you are spot-on, I believe, and I like it that you made your observation in conjunction with my story! Left-handed compliment, perhaps? Or, maybe just making a point that stems from the issues presented. Either way, I'll not probe any further, because the answer I might receive just possibly could be... Hmmm, perhaps this might also be considered yet another form of wussiness, reckon...?

DDT (12)

[GiG]

   Anemones / Amenities 
Maybe at Waffle House, I dunno, never ate one cuz people step on ‘em& pee on the wound