For the past 11 years, I’ve had a Yamaha Fazer (FZS600, model of 2001, to be precise). See, even as a small kid, I was fascinated with motorcycles. By the age of 6, I could tell almost every make and model that I saw (my father was a rather patient and knowledgeable man – there was no Google in the 80s).
When we would go to the seaside, on a summer vacation, I was awed by the fast race motorcycles whizzing by us on the motorway. That picture was left ingrained in my mind.
Later, in the 90s, came the civil wars and the crisis in my country – that have never really ended. Long ago have I made peace with the fact that things will never be back to what I would consider “normal”. Not that it means giving up – just doing what you can to make it as good as possible, but not expecting anything unrealistic. One of my dream bikes was the above mentioned Yamaha Fazer. Model FZS600 designed at the end of the 90s, produced until 2003. I had never dreamed that I’d ever get to ride one.
Later, as I started working and managed to save some money, Yamaha Fazer I had longed for had become an almost 10 years old 2nd hand motorcycle – who would have thought?! So, even though I still couldn’t afford a new bike, I could get a second hand one. And so I did. 🙂
My Yamaha was in a rather good condition when I bought it, and I did my best to keep it in good condition. When I first dropped it on a camping trip and scratched some paint, my girlfriend at the time (now my former wife) told me a wise thing: “it’s a mark of a good memory – you’ll have plenty more of those, it’s nothing to worry about”. And she was right – I was stupid to worry about some scratched paint.
Went off to have a lot more drops and falls/crashes (I crash a lot 🙂 – judo training as a child has so far prevented me from having any broken bones, ever – knock on wood). And they have all left their marks on the bike. My first (and second, and third…) trip to the seaside was on that bike. One week trip to Italy – going there in one day, about 1000 kilometers ride (I was a bit younger then).
Today, when people see the motorcycle, most never fail to notice all the scratches, slightly worn rear tyre etc. However, as far as my kid is concerned, it is “a beautiful motorcycle dad has!” He always wants to sit on it and be ridden. Now (5 years old) he does notice loose bolts, and mechanical things out of place on cars and bikes, but he’s yet to comment on the scratched paint and other minor imperfections of the Yamaha – he sees it for what it really is: a nice bike!
That’s what I call “looking at the world through the eyes of a child”. Disregarding the trivia – looking at the core. Both related to things, and to the people. We could, and should learn from our children, just as we learn from the older (and wiser).