Friday, June 11, 2010

TRIBES

Tribes

I’ve had several enlightening experiences within the past month relating to connections with my personal Tribes.

Connecting with a tribe, with other human beings in a way that changes me for the better, is like hitting fresh asphalt after enduring miles on a gravel road. Within the tribe, all judgment ceases, time is illusionary, and the soul comes alive, seeing far more than the eyes and sensing what the mind cannot put into words—pure, unconditional love.

Within the tribe, no one is concerned about my make or model. No one is truly concerned with where I’ve been, though interested. They’re just glad I’m here, right now, championing my desires for where I want to go next.

It doesn’t matter where I’ve been. The Tribe wants to know who I’ve become because of it, and where I intend to go in spite of it. They want to hear how I have strengthened myself because of the tears and hardships I’ve endured. They want to know where I’m going, my intended destination, and are willing to help me get there with the people they have come to know and the wisdom they’ve obtained through their own personal experiences, explorations, and adventures.

I have found Tribes to be of a much higher rank than knowledge. Knowledge gained over the years may be power, however, I can’t possibly know it all, no one can. With a Tribe and tenacious resourcefulness, I am damn certain that I have the ability to find what I need, or someone who knows what I need to know, in the moment I need to know it.
When I started riding 20 years ago, female motorcyclists weren’t as prevalent as they are today. Semi-drivers honked at me constantly and derelicts would be drooling out the window of their pickup trucks. The surprised looks, gaping stares, honking, has all dwindled over the past two decades. Even though the aging process may be playing a role, seeing women on bikes has become more commonplace. The Tribe has grown and so has the intensity of sovereignty emanating from it.

Female motorcyclists are a dynamic Tribe possessing a fierce drive for independence. They have chosen to place themselves in the driver’s seat of life, because they know that the power to ride it the way they desire lies in their own hands. Like all Tribes, they know that when they choose to bring their soul to the table, they make a difference because they’re doing something that really matters. It doesn’t really matter what they do or where they go, they just want to be making a contribution to the tribe. We have an innate need for connecting with like-minded individuals. We want to feel that we have a special place in this world, that we fit in somewhere with some bodies, who will support our thoughts, words and deeds.

Get out this week and connect with one of your Tribes and watch your spirit soar. You may even find your Life taking off in a direction you never even imagined.

“Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.” Dr. Seuss