V-Twin Vajrayana

And now, for an episode of blatant labeling --

Well, here we go --- if you're reading this post, I am off and running.

Next week I will have one of those culturally predetermined "milestone" birthdays -- one I never in my wildest dream ever thought I would see -- so, as is traditional for me this time of year, I am taking some time off to go work on the Bucket List.

In so many ways, I am the luckiest person. 

I have been able to meet with the greatest teachers of the age. I have also met with many other remarkable people around the world. 

With only one or two remaining exceptions, I have done everything I ever wanted to do, and then some. 

There is no place I ever wanted to go that I have not been, and that includes some places which might surprise you. 

I can say that every dream I ever had has always come true -- really, I can say that I have been blessed with extremely good fortune since the day I was born.

Then of course, there is the absolutely meaningless, and often counterproductive stuff from which none of us are immune. Things like sky-diving, staring down a charging rhino, running with the bulls, or marrying someone from Tianjin, all of which I have observed to embody the same essential experience. 

For me, this year, counterproductive stuff takes the form of a serious road trip and a Harley-Davidson Fat Boy motorcycle. 

Oh, how appropriate! 

Fact is, I've never ridden Harley-Davidson motorcycles, and don't know anything about them: one of the very few things I wanted to do that I've never done. I figure the best way to learn is to get on and ride until I get it mastered, or run into a wall, whichever comes first.

Assuming I am able to survive that experience, next stop is the silver wings and roaring engines, and a long-planned flight to a place I have always loved.

I could tell you that I'm middle-aged crazy, except I am no longer middle-aged. Let me see... that leaves crazy, now doesn't it?

While I am out motoring, we'll have some guest editors here at Digital Tibetan Buddhist Altar, and we also have some articles "in the can" as they say in Hollywood -- all set to auto-post. By "auto-post," I mean that the articles are already written, and are set to post automatically at predetermined times.

Thing to remember about ghosts is, they always fly in straight lines.

When you get to my age, sometimes people ask, "What have you learned?" I do not know how to answer that, because I am still learning. Like the song says, you know I've always been a dreamer -- spent my life running 'round.

So put me on a highway
And show me a sign
And take it to the limit one more time

Photos copyright (c) 2010 by the author. All rights reserved.