Advice: Luck and you

I should be so lucky...

My IT guy has a totally warped sense of humour. When my current laptop informs me that I've received email, a sultry female voice warbles "Master...I've got mail for you..." It's all about power...

Anyway...one of the benefits of my job is that students often write to me with their positive experiences and pass on their thanks to my crew for their hard work and dedication. One such "Master...I've got mail for you..." came from a student who took exception to my parting phrase on this column, which reads...Good luck with your riding. He said:

"At no time, (in my limited time) experiencing your God-like tuition, have you pointed out to me that my time on a motorcycle has anything to do with luck!"

This reply could get personal, so could everyone other than Rod Gordon, please turn skip to the next paragraph. Okay, Rod now we're alone... Firstly, thank you for elevating me to deity but I'm sure I don't deserve it. Secondly, you are right of course, luck has very little to do with riding success. Which brought me ultimately to this thought...why do I use this statement?

The phrase is not intended to be read as 'while you're riding I hope you're lucky' even though I do hope that's the case. No matter how careful a rider you are, no matter how far inside your own personal limits you ride and no matter how well you read the road ahead, there are things in our everyday riding environment that can get even the best rider. There are such things as 'accidents' i.e. crashes caused by things totally outside your control. In that respect, I hope Lady Luck is smiling on you twenty-four-seven. However, that's not what I'm saying. 'Good luck with your riding' is intended as a parting thought, sort of like Jerry Springer's "take care of each other." (This of course comes out after he's totally humiliated whoever's appeared on the show while unashamedly contributing to their unhappiness. Entertaining though isn't it?)

Yes Rod, in my columns (and at the schools) I do as you say, "Hammer home to us students the importance of responsibility of our actions..." This is true. I just want to wish you luck in taking responsibility and therefore gaining control of your riding. Perhaps it should read "much happiness in taking full responsibility and control over the many and varied control actions that contribute to making you a successful motorcycle rider." And while you're at it...

Good luck with your riding.

Steve Brouggy is the owner of the

Contact:
2 / 76 Rushdale St
Knoxfield, VIC 3180
Australia

Phone: 1300 793 423
+613 9763 3338