Down But Not Out

Man have I been there…. Bad Injury, you just get out of the hospital and your at home lying on the couch.  You’ve watched every program on tv 300 times and you know them by heart.  You’re so burnt on your playstation.  You went to the fridge on your crutches and back to the couch like 800 times in one day just to open the door of the fridge to stare at the same stuff you did the last 799 times. It sucks!

Maybe a little moto-vation will help.

I was there, so one day I decided lying there on the couch that I’m going to do something.  You cant even believe you are thinking it but your mind starts contenplating giving up this sport .  The pain really sucks, but it does not last forever and believe me, before to long the four strokes will start firing in your head or two strokes for you die hard two strokers. Anyway, I will give you a little story on myself that might help get you up to 5th gear.

With a broken femur, tiblia, and completely blown out knee ( the way it broke turned my femur to mush),that I couldn’t put any pressure on it for a year, I had to get the year in then I had to start therapy. It was a total of two and a half yrs down and out.  So the first thing I thought was I’m going to be jubba the hut if I dont get off this couch and exercise. I had crutches I could get around on so thats what I did. Everyday I got up and walked around my block, very slowly, but who cares. I was doing something, and it moto-vated me.

I would walk til I got tired, take a break, then go at it again.  Before I knew it I was going around several of my blocks.  I was rolling on them crutches like they had a 450 motor in them. The biggest thing is that while I was crutch walking I was thinking about riding and getting back on the bike, even though my doctor thought there was a chance that I’d never even walk right again.

So I was at a wedding for a friend who was cousins with Ty Wallace, a pro rider who at one time ranked 35th in the world.  Well he was also injured. Both of us there on crutches, sitting at a table bench racing about riding. I told him about how I get out and crutch walk and he said he was doing similiar things and it was moto-vating him too. But on my mind and I could tell on his, we both werent sure if we’d ever be able to ride again.

Then Ty said something to me that I will never forget.  He said have you ever been anywhere like riding in a car and in that dream-like state and seen a awesome field or a sweet natural jump on one of those highways and your mind just makes that motocross sound? Like you look, see it, and you hear braaaaaaaaaap?  I said hell yeah, it just happened to me the other day going to the doctors for a check-up. And now that you say about it,  that is the first time it has happened in awhile.  He replied, don’t worry. You will ride again.

I never forgot that and from that day on I knew without a doubt I’d be back on my bike. Just remember you’re down but not out and when the braaaaaaap comes back to you, you will ride again!