Happiness, the fairy tale.

  We are all familiar with pain. In one way or another, we have all felt it. Bumps, bruises, cuts, abrasions... bring with them pain. If you are alive, there is no avoiding pain. Is as simple as that.    I've had my fair share of physical pain. I’m not really referring to the little cuts and scrapes that happen all the time, I am referring to the larger kind. I broke a bone on my right foot, with a simple misstep, when I was 9 years old. I dislocated my ankles several times, over the years well into my adulthood. I tore both of my rotator cuffs and got surgery to repair the right one, many years after enduring unending pain.   There are other, non-physical pains that come with life. Pain from the loss of loved ones. Broken hearts, disappointments, and rejections. This could be a more lasting pain. More difficult to deal with. You can take ibuprofen or something similar for the physical pain, but there is really nothing for the emotional pain. I’ve had...

Life, liberty and the pursuit... What is happiness? Is it really something that needs pursuit? Is it worth chasing? Is it important?  All good questions with infinite answers.   Let’s start with the main question, what is happiness? I looked up the definition of the word and found that the dictionary defines it as “the state of being happy.” Incredibly helpful, right? So, I dug a little deeper. I found a more extended definition in Google: “ Happiness  is that feeling that comes over you when you know life is good and you can't help but smile.  Happiness  is a sense of well-being,  joy , or contentment. ... When people are successful, or safe, or lucky, they feel  happiness .”   “...the feeling that comes over your when you know... and you can’t help but smile”  Feeling.  Interesting word. We all know that most feelings are not very long lasting and definitely, not always shared.   Let's take the last sentence for a moment: “When ...

     “Love Conquers All”. One of the most misinterpreted phrases of all time. People often take it to mean that finding your “true love” will make everything else fall into place. The stars will align and, together, you can conquer all obstacles and have a happy ending. We all know this to be folly. Love, as a magic potion, does not exist.      I have known people that were madly in love when they got together, but life got in the way and they ended up separated or divorced after many years. They went on to marry other people that made them happy and were with them until the end of their days. However, they were never really able to totally replace the first love.      How many people do you know that love each other but will start fighting after a few minutes together? I mean, there is nothing wrong with a little argument now and then, you can't leave things bottle up or they will fester and explode. The kind of fighting I am referring to is...

Morning came and, like a rose in bloom, her eyes opened. Those deep, beautiful eyes that cast a glow about them. Eyes that look right through and hold you in their brilliant gaze, like a feather in the wind. Another day had begun. A new day in which to continue her labor of love. And she readied herself going on to meet her charges. All day she sowed and planted, and her words watered their brains until she could see the little buds of knowledge sprout in their eyes. And then she rested, for the day was done. She cast a glance about her and , with a satisfied sight, she went home.

Wow! A lot has happened this summer. Since I wrote on this site last, "Bo" came back to us. The guy that bought it could not handled it and, since he was a friend of my son, he agreed to take it back. Now riding season is almost over and if we don't sell it before the winter we'll do some changes to it in the cold months. We took an amazing trip to Spain and had the most wonderful time in Galicia. We got to know new family, see beautiful sites and have some awesome food. I was able to reconnect with my cousin in Vigo, whom I had not seen since 1998. We traveled to Miami next, to see my mother who came from Cuba for a visit. And returned home so my wife could have an operation. Luckily everything went fine and she is now back at work as the new school year has started. I created a website to go with the motorcycle repair shop I am trying to start, you can check it out at www.brazencustoms.com . It is a work in progress but I hope it works out. The new bike p...

The new bike is taking shape. Today we finished the tail and put it on.  It is welded in place. Next we mounted the rear tire and the front so we could get a look at it from the design aspect. By doing this we realized that the front end has to be raked for it to look good. When we return from Spain we'll have to get the fender, seats, tank and other parts but the biggest hurdle is over. I will also have to work on the engine. The one we have is old, from 1980 and we have no idea if it will run. It should, those engines are very sturdy. Other than some rust from being left outside for so many years it should crank up fine, once I put new oil and filter on it and replace a few parts, This bike is going to be amazing!

Well, Bo is no longer with us. It was sold to a friend of jochi. We are moving on to the next build. We started out with a similar bike to Bo, only a newer frame. This one is a 1982 frame and we are going a little deeper into the customization. This is what it looked like before we started. Took out the forks, wiring and rear tire and chopped it down and got this: Here the back of the frame has been removed and the frame is ready for the extension and hard tailing that will be done. I have started a course on Motorcycle repair. It is rewarding to build or modify something. When you are finish you look at it and say: "I made that" The next step is to put manufacture and install the new hard tail. We bought pipe from a supplier and I started to work with it. This is the new tail taking shape. This project will have to be interrupted for a couple of weeks. We are traveling to Spain next week to accompany my wife on a missi...